Maestro Niyazi: 113 years since the birth of the legend of Azerbaijani music

Today marks the 113th anniversary of the birth of Maestro Niyazi.

Niyazi Zulfugar oglu Taghizade-Hajibeyov was born on August 20, 1912, in Tiflis (now Tbilisi) into the family of the famous composer and theater figure Zulfugar Hajibeyov, brother of Uzeyir Hajibeyov - the founder of Azerbaijani classical music.

Niyazi - a descendant of a famous musical dynasty, became the first Azerbaijani professional conductor to gain worldwide recognition. The formation and development of the Azerbaijani conducting school is associated with his name.

Accompanied by the orchestra under his direction, Bulbul, Rashid Behbudov, Muslim Magomayev, Lutfiyar Imanov, and other outstanding performers shined on stage.

Niyazi is the author of the operas "1920" and "Khosrov and Shirin," and the ballet "Chitra" based on the poem by Rabindranath Tagore.

He conducted operas such as "Nargiz" by Muslim Magomayev, "Koroghlu" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov, "Eugene Onegin" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, "Carmen" by Georges Bizet, "La Bohème" by Giacomo Puccini, and many others.

Maestro Niyazi was awarded numerous state honors, the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR, and received various orders and medals.

He died on August 2, 1984, in Baku.