Kyiv Virtuosi/Yablonsky - Fikret Amirov: One Thousand and One Nights, Symphony 'To the Memory of Nizami'

Fikret Amirov is one of Azerbaijan�s best-known 20th-century composers in the classical tradition, and the inventor of the �symphonic mugam� based on traditional folk melodies (as can be heard on Naxos 8.572170). Symphony �To the Memory of Nizami� reflects the character of the celebrated and influential Muslim poet and philosopher Nizami, who was born in the ancient city of Ganga in Azerbaijan. Amirov�s skill in evoking fantastic worlds is heard in a suite derived from the ballet One Thousand and One Nights, in which this famous narrative about the seductive and perilous Orient resolves from a cinematic chase into a memorable love scene and final triumphant celebrations.