International Mugham Center of Azerbaijan
Concert hall on Baku Boulevard devoted to mugham, in a building shaped after the tar.
The centre stands on Baku Boulevard beside the Caspian and opened on 27 December 2008, with the director-general of UNESCO among the guests. It was built through the Heydar Aliyev Foundation on the initiative of Mehriban Aliyeva. The three-storey building of about 7,500 square metres takes its curving form from the tar, the long-necked lute at the heart of mugham performance, and the glazed shell is lit at night so that the shape reads from the promenade.
Mugham is a modal tradition of sung and instrumental improvisation, proclaimed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2003. The centre exists to teach, record and present it. Its concert hall seats about 350 and is used for recitals by khananda singers with tar and kamancha, for chamber and crossover programmes and for the international mugham festivals and conferences that bring performers from many countries. Study rooms, recording studios and a restaurant occupy the rest of the building.
Highlights
- Building shaped after the tar, the lute used in mugham
- Concert hall of about 350 seats
- Opened in December 2008 on Baku Boulevard
- Base for international mugham festivals and conferences
