Washington, October 13 (AzerTAc). San Diego, California, has hosted the premiere of Seven Beauties ballet by great Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev.
Sponsored by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and presented by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, the ballet was produced by the critically acclaimed San Diego Ballet, and performed at the San Diego Civic Theater, one of the largest opera venues of the United States. The renowned Grossmont Symphony Orchestra played the music.
The show was followed by a reception hosted by Azerbaijan`s Consulate General in Los Angeles. It was attended by officials of U.S. federal and local elective bodies, members of municipal councils of San Diego and other cities, foreign diplomats, public and culture figures, directors and composers, university professors, and journalists.
Addressing the audience, Azerbaijan`s Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev described the staging of Seven Beauties ballet as “a remarkable event” in the cultural history of Azerbaijan. He hailed the success of the ballet as triumph of Azerbaijan`s cultural diplomacy.
Other speakers included Congresswoman Susan Davis, chair of Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations Department at Azerbaijan`s parliament, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov, chairperson of Azerbaijani Composers Union, People`s Artist Firangiz Alizade, MP Asim Mollazade, Chancellor at Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Cindy Miles, conductor Randall Tweed and San Diego Ballet Artistic Director Javier Velasco.
Chair of the San Diego International Affairs Board Bruce Abrams read out the Proclamation signed by the San Diego Mayor and proclaiming October 11, 2014, to be "Seven Beauties Ballet Day" in the City of San Diego.
It is the first time that this unique ballet was performed at such a scale in the United States.
Seven Beauties was composed in 1952 by famous Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev. The libretto of the ballet is based on motifs of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi’s Seven Beauties poem, written in 1197.
The poem shares the story of a young prince Bahram, destined to become the ruler of the world, and his encounters with seven beautiful princesses of different ethnic backgrounds. Bahram needs the wisdom of these princesses in order to become a worthy king. This is a story of just governance, tolerance, and multiculturalism.