On opera “Nizami” by A.Badalbeyli

Abstract

In 1939, Afrasiyab Badalbeyli, the famous Azerbaijani composer, was commissioned to write an opera in connection with the 800th anniversary of the great 12th century Azerbaijani poet and thinker, Nizami Ganjavi. The Nizami opera was the first opera in Azerbaijan dedicated to a historical figure. The libretto of the opera was based on the plot of the novel “Sword and Quill” by Mammad Said Ordubadi, who was the founder of the historical novel genre in Azerbaijan. The choice of opera as a genre to embody the image of Nizami was logical as it coincided with the musical art scene that flourished in the first half of the XX century and was largely underpinned by the development of the opera genre. The Nizami opera marked the beginning of the historic-biographical opera tradition, continued in later works of Azerbaijani composers. In order to fulfill the objective of embodying the image of Nizami, A. Badalbeyili chose “an epic narrative”, where the fate and lives of characters are developing against the backdrop of social and political conflicts. Unfortunately, A. Badalbeyli couldn’t fully meet this objective, which was also reflected in the dramaturgy of the opera. Nevertheless, the clarity of musical content, the melodic musical characters and the similarity of the music to Azerbaijani folklore won viewers’ approval and brought success to this opera. Through this work, A. Badalbeyli has greatly expanded the thematic and stylistic range of Azerbaijani opera. This opera can be seen as a foundational building block that helped to further develop and advance the post-World War II opera genre in Azerbaijan.