Classical masters of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan

Linked by a millennium-old tradition of classical music that extends across the Muslim  world from Casablanca to Kashgar, the celebrated Azerbaijani vocalists Alim and Fargana Qasimov, accompanied by their four-man ensemble, are paired with Tajik instrumentalist Sirojiddin Juraev, the leading dutar player of his generation, and an influential composer of new tradition-based music. The first half of the concert features composed and virtuosically improvised instrumental music rooted in the melodic modes of classical Azerbaijani mugham and Tajik maqom. In the second half, the Qasimov Ensemble performs a selection of songs from the repertoire of Azerbaijani ashiqs (bards) and an entire mugham suite whose soaring melodies are set to the sublime Sufi-inspired poetry of Fuzuli.