Alim Qasimov & Fargana Qasimova / Azerbaijan
“The Guardian” hailed him as “one of the most thrilling, unashamedly emotional performers on the planet, and the finest exponent of mugham”. David Harrington, leader of the legendary Kronos Quartet, said: “I realised his voice was as unique as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's, or Bessie Smith's in St. Louis Blues. There's a special quality to that voice, a connection between it and his inner life”.
“The Guardian” hailed him as “one of the most thrilling, unashamedly emotional performers on the planet, and the finest exponent of mugham”. David Harrington, leader of the legendary Kronos Quartet, said: “I realised his voice was as unique as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's, or Bessie Smith's in St. Louis Blues. There's a special quality to that voice, a connection between it and his inner life”. Yes, Alim Qasimov is indisputably a special figure, one of the most outstanding, most moving vocalists of our time. His specialty is mugham, a sophisticated form of traditional Azerbaijani sung poetry and music. For years, Alim has been accompanied in his artistic undertakings by his also extremely musically talented daughter, Fargana Qasimova.
Mugham is Azerbaijani music, which belongs to the supranational classical or courtly tradition, which flourished in the great cultural centres of North Africa, the Middle East, West Asia and Central Asia over a thousand years ago. Mugham is rooted in a system of melodic motifs that provide a framework for improvised performances. Alim and Fargana Qasimova have left their mark on the very form of this music – particularly on the perfect balance between traditional form and its poignant original interpretations.
Great representatives of western music have boasted of collaborating with Alim Qasimov – not only the aforementioned Kronos Quartet, but also Jeff Buckley, as well as Voo Voo, one of the best Polish rock groups. Alim Qasimov was awarded the International Music Council-UNESCO Music Prize in 1999. We are in for a meeting with a true legend.
Alim Qasimov – vocals, percussionalia
Fargana Qasimova – vocals, percussionalia
Raif Islamov – kamancheh
Zeki Valiyev – tar
The concert took place in 2018.