From left to right: Lelo Nika (accordion), Tuva Thomassen (hardanger fiddle), Liv Runesdatter (vocal), Ehtiram Huseynov (vocal/mugham), Alakbar Alakbarov (tar), Elshan Mansurov (kamancha). Photo: Royal Norwegian Embassy in BakuThe Norwegian singer of religious folk songs Liv Runesdatter and the Azerbaijani
kamancha player Elshan Mansurov, with their colleagues Tuva Thomassen Bostad,
Hardanger fiddle, Ehtiram Huseynov,
vocal/mugham, Lelo Nika,
accordion, and Alakhbar Alakbarov,
tar, who made an instant breakthrough as a joint team of musicians at the Norwegian National Day on the 17th of May, appeared again on the 29th of June outside the old Albanian church in Kish, Sheki. They were greeted by the chairwoman of the Azerbaijani composers’ association, Mrs. Firengiz Alizada and Ambassador Jon Ramberg, who pointed to the importance of the Kish church as a symbol of the early Albanian Christianity in Azerbaijan and to the traditional tolerance between the faiths in this country.
The musical programme was a mixture of Norwegian religious folk songs and Azerbaijani mugham. The audience were particularly thrilled by the joint performances, where the two teams of musicians actually are creating a New Music. It is hoped that they will be able to play together on many occasions in the future – in Azerbaijan as well as in Norway.
The concert took place in sweltering heat outside the church in Kish.