The grand closing ceremony of the magnificent 29th Immling International Opera Festival, traditionally held in Bavaria, Germany, has taken place. The opera gala concert, titled “Grande Finale,” was highlighted by performances of the Immling Opera Festival orchestra and choir. On that day, the orchestra was conducted by maestros from various countries, including Germany, Georgia, China, and South Africa.
According to “Tehsil365”, Azerbaijan was represented at the festival by Honored Artist, laureate of international competitions, and Chief Conductor of the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Ayyub Guliyev.
This marks the fifth time the Azerbaijani conductor has been invited to the Opera Festival in Bavaria. In his previous performances, under Ayyub Guliyev’s direction, the works of great Azerbaijani composers such as Uzeyir Hajibeyli, Gara Garayev, Fikret Amirov, and maestro Niyazi were performed with German musicians to great acclaim. This year, alongside our conductor, talented opera singers from Italy, Spain, Mexico, Georgia, Bulgaria, Lebanon, China, Egypt, and Latvia presented a diverse and complex musical program. The nearly four-hour concert featured arias, duets, scenes, and overtures from operas by C. Verdi, G. Puccini, P. Mascagni, G. Rossini, J. Bizet, G. Gershwin, L. Bernstein, F. Zuppé, F. Lehar, and other renowned composers, receiving continuous applause from the audience.
As the final piece of the concert, Azerbaijani conductor Ayyub Guliyev and all participating singers took the stage together to perform “Libiamo” from C. Verdi’s La Traviata. Festival director Ludwig Baumann and artistic director Cornelia von Kersenbrock expressed their gratitude on behalf of the audience to all invited performers and conductors from various countries.
It is noteworthy that during the festival, which began on June 21, operas such as J. Bizet’s Carmen, W. A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute, C. Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, and G. Puccini’s Manon Lescaut were presented, along with the premieres of new concert programs including O Sole Mio and Concerto Aranjues.