February 5 marked the 105th anniversary of the birth of the renowned composer, educator, People's artist of the USSR, and hero of socialist labor, Academician Gara Garayev (1918-1982). On this occasion, visitors gathered at his gravesite in the First Alley of Honor, where they laid flowers in his memory.
The memorial ceremony was attended by figures of culture and art, employees of the Central Art School named after Gara Garayev, and other visitors.
Gara Garayev, who made remarkable contributions to the musical culture of Azerbaijan and the world, was recognized as an innovative artist who paved the way for the future with his unique blend of national and global creativity. He also founded an important school of composers. Today, the alumni of this school continue to contribute to the recognition of Azerbaijani music around the world.
The first performance of any work by Gara Garayev became a special event, a feast of art in the history of Azerbaijani music. The works of the brilliant artist were successfully performed at major musical events in the republics of the former USSR, the USA, Poland, Egypt, Spain, Italy, France, Japan, and Germany.
The ballets "Seven Beauties" based on the poem of the same name by Nizami Ganjavi, and "Path of Thunder" based on the novel by the South African writer Peter Abrahams, made the composer world famous. The author's Symphony No. 1 holds a prominent place among the first symphonies of Azerbaijan. The symphonic sketches "Don Quixote" and the composition "Vietnam" are valuable testimonies of Gara Garayev's creativity. Together with Covdat Hajiyev, he is also the co-author of the opera "Motherland". Gara Garayev, who wrote a series of 24 preludes, sonatas, romances, and cantatas for violin and piano, composed timeless music for films and theater performances such as "Distant shores", "His big heart", "Two people from one neighborhood", "Human settles", "Nizami", etc.
