Anchored camels moving across the never-ending desert breaking the lazy silence, tired travelers on top, scorching heat of the sun, then a fierce sandstorm that "throws stones into the calm lake", a hard struggle with the whims of nature, the desert sand that subsides over time, a camel caravan gradually becoming a point , the sound of a distant bell... Probably, the symphonic mugham "Carvan" consists of such an image in the imagination of every listener. There are few works and few composers who can make the image so musical. "Caravan" is a great work of art, a desert story written with music, which earned its author the title of "great composer".
At the age of 41, Soltan Hajibeyov, who received the prestigious honorary title of People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1960), is, of course, the author of valuable works of art. But "Carvan" is a masterpiece of a worthy follower of the Hajibeyov generation. In this work, Soltan bey was able to recreate the journey of the camel caravan with great skill, using percussion and wind instruments, a group of stringed instruments and expressive means of musical art.
The future composer, who moved to the capital from Shusha, where he was born, in order to study, initially wanted to become an economist, but due to his love of music and the influence of his teacher, Uzeyir Bey, he left the institute and chose to study at the conservatory. Of course, the talent factor was the main factor behind the subsequent streak of success. However, the fact that he was a relative (great-grandson) of an influential artist like Uzeyir Hajibeyov did not play a role. If we look at his biography, he was artistic director of the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic for 8 years, director for 7 years; We will see that he worked as the secretary of the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan (1953-1968) and the rector of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (1969-1974). The positions held by Soltan Hajibeyov are an indicator of the important place in the history of the development of our national musical culture. However, his artistic path was not always smooth and unobstructed.
After completing his studies at the Conservatory, Soltan Bey, who worked there for 1 year as a teacher, entered the graduate school of the Moscow Conservatory, in the class of the genius composer Dmitriy Shostakovich. 1 year later - in 1948, with the infamous decision of the communist party on literature and art, the beginning of repression became a barrier in his path, like most bright young people. A great artist and teacher like D. Shostakovich was expelled from the conservatory; along with a number of composers, all works of S. Hajibeyov, including "Carvan", are banned. But of course, even in the darkest night, tomorrow dawns, and the obstacles that the evil ideology has put in front of art will be removed one day.
"Carvan" is one of the valuable works that brought world fame to its author, made people love our music and won applause even beyond the borders of Azerbaijan. Soltan Hajibeyov, famous in the former Soviet Union, started writing the opera "Ambush and Gas" in 1945 by order of the State Opera and Ballet Theater of Turkmenistan, but for some reason he did not finish the work. The author creates the symphonic score "Caravan" on the basis of the orchestra sheet depicting Central Asian landscapes and images in the musical pieces written for this work. In 1952, the composer developed a new, current edition of the work. In 1955, after the last version was recorded under Niyazi's conductor, "Carvan" opened its doors to the world. The famous US violinist Sidney Hort wrote in his letter to the author after listening to this unique work composed on the "Hijaz" branch of the "Shur" mugham: "Your "Caravan" is very charming. The beautiful instrumentation of this beautiful work is also worthy of the author. Full of love of life, this piece with deep content was played with great skill by the Evanston Orchestra in Chicago.
Soltan Hajibeyov is one of the exceptional artists who represent Azerbaijan with dignity in different countries of the world. "Karvan" sounding from the stage of the world's most prestigious concert halls alone is able to show the magnificence of Azerbaijani music and the musical feeling of our artist to the world.
