With the ensemble gathered around the young singer Nisbet Sedrayeva, we present the new generation of mugham. Sedrayeva, who has been repeatedly praised from a young age for her powerful voice, is accompanied by outstanding musicians playing the traditional long-necked lute tar, the four-stringed kamancha (a violin with a pointed head), the frame drum daf, and the cylindrical drum nagara.
Azerbaijani mugham is a traditional musical form characterized above all by the great importance of improvisation. It is a highly complex form of music, with specific systems and concepts of musical expression that demand a very high level of professionalism from the performers. Although mugham is a classical and academic musical form, it is nevertheless rooted in popular folk melodies, rhythms, and performance techniques.
There are strong links between Azerbaijani mugham, the Iranian-Arab-Turkish maqam, and the Central Asian shashmaqam. Needless to say, mugham is extremely popular in Azerbaijan. Since 2003, mugham has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Musicians:
Nisbet Sedrayeva – vocals, daf
Rustam Muslumov – tar
Elnur Salahov – kamancha
Siyavush Karimov – nagara
A concert at The Faculty
The Faculty is no ordinary concert venue. This Flemish Neo-Renaissance building, constructed in 1892 to house Cureghem’s great veterinary school, has lived through over a century of history before being carefully restored. The original parquet floors, the mouldings, the mosaic tiles, all preserved. Tonight, music fills the former proclamation hall, on the building’s magnificent upper floor. A venue just outside the city centre, and well worth the journey.
How to get here
Located near Brussels-Midi station and the inner and outer ring roads, The Faculty is easily accessible by public transport and by car.
Metro: Lines 2 and 6, Clemenceau or Gare du Midi stop
On foot: 12 minutes from Gare du Midi or Clemenceau stop
Bus: Lines 73 and 78, Vétérinaires stop – Line 48, Eloy stop
Villo!: Station nearby
By car: Rue des Vétérinaires 47, 1070 Anderlecht – street parking or Park & Ride at Gare du Midi