Niyazi

Niyazi Tagizade Hajibeyov (1912-1984) Azerbaijani conductor, composer, People’s Artist of USSR (1959), Hero of Socialist Labor (1982), Laureate of two second degree Stalin Prizes (1951, 1952). Establishment and development of Azerbaijani school of conductors are related to his name.
He was playing the violin in Turkish military orchestra in 1921. He studied at the Gnessin Music School in Moscow in composition class of M.F.Gnessin (1925-1926) and Central Musical Technical School in Leningrad and his teacher was G.N.Popov (1929-1930) but dropped out due to health problems. He studied at Baku Conservatorie (his teachers were L.M.Rudolf and S.Shrasser) during 1933-1934.
During1932-1933 - The head of the science, literature and art department at Commissariat for Education of Dagestan ASSR. He was the head of music department of Azerbaijan film studio during 1935-1937. Artistic director of Azerbaijan State Stage during 1937-1938. Deputy chair of organizational committee in 1938-1944 and member of the board of the Azerbaijan SSR’s Union of Composers’ by 1956.
In 1937-1948 conductor, 1951-1952 and 1958-1959 main conductor, director, artistic director and main conductor of Azerbaijan Opera and Ballte Theatre in 1961-1965. At the same time he was the artistic director and chief conductor of Azerbaijan Symphonic Orchestra after Uzeyir Hajibeyli. In 1946 he was the laureate of All-union Conductors’ Contest.
1960-1961 – The chief conductor of Leningrad State Opera and Ballet Theatre.
The director of Azerbaijan State Philharmony by 1979.
Niyazi conducted many symphony orchestras in Prague, Berlin, Budapest, Bucharest, New York, Paris, Istanbul, London, Tehran and Beijing.
He was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR in 4th and 8th elections. He was the deputy of the Supreme Soviet of USSR during the 11th election (1984).
Niyazi died on August 2, 1984 and was buried in Baku, in the Alley of Honor.
Niyazi's works include: “1920” (opera-cantata, 1940), "Khosrow and Shirin" (based on Nizami’s poem, 1942), "Chitra" ballet (1960), compositions for orchestra – “Zagatala suite” (1934), “Concerto variant of Lezginka” (1939), “In the battle” overture-fantasy (1943), “To the memory of the heros” (1944), “Rast” symphonic mugham (1949), “Concerto waltz” (1954), a suite from “Chitra” ballet (1970), “Poem” for fortepiano and symphonic orchestra (1945), other compositions – “Flowers of a garden” musical stage composition for soloists, choir, orchestra of Azerbaijan folk instruments (1949), “Song and dance” for sitring quartette (1959), music for sport parades (1938, 1940, 1941, 1947), songs composed on the poems of Azerbaijani poets, also “A song about motherland” (1937), dramas for orchestra of wind instruments, songs, usage of folk songs, the first act of M.magomayev’s “Nargiz” opera, Z.Hajibeyov’s “Ashug Garib” opera, edition of U.Hajibeyli’s “Arshin mal alan” operetta, musics composed for drama theatres and films, including “The breaking of unity” (Daghilan tifag) by A.B.Hagverdiyev, “In 1905” and “Almaz” by J.Jabbarli, “Vagif”by S.Vurgun and “Platon Krechet” by A.Korneychuk.