General public got acquainted with Arif Mirzoev's (b. 1944) music in 1977 when his "Chorale and Classical Fugue" for organ was performed in Moscow. Already then it became clear that the organ, better than any other instrument, suited the composer with his passion for the music of baroque and polyphonic genres for organ and harpsichord. Being a perfect master both of polyphonic composition and of modern composition techniques Mirzoev skillfully combines the old traditional form and the new exciting content.
The culture of his native Azerbaijan plays a great role in the composer's work. His splendid tunes are determined by the melodious Azerbaijan folk music.
Mirzoev works in different genres. His most well known compositions are "Chorale and Classical Fugue" (1965), Sonata for Violin and Piano (1969), "Symphonic Monologue" for Orchestra (1973) the piano cycle "24 Preludes" (the 1st note book - 1966, the 2nd note-book 1976), String Quartet in memory of his father (1972), Jazz Concertino for Two Pianos (1981) and many lyrical songs. All these compositions are often performed in concert halls in this country and abroad.
Organ Symphony, Op. 30 (1984) has a subtitle "Ornamental-Mugamic, (Azerbaijan folk improvisations) Choral and Polyphonic Variations". This composition is a graphic example of Mirzoev's artistic credo - to join eastern and western musical cultures. He developed such views during his studies in the Baku Conservatoire under the outstanding Soviet composer Kara Karaev.
One of the oldest Soviet musicians, organist and musicologist A. Kotlyarevsky highly praised the Symphony. He said: The Organ Symphony by A. Mirzoev is a valuable contribution to the history of world Bachiana as well as such outstanding compositions as "Bachianas Brasileiras" by H. Villa-Lobos and D. Shostakovich's "24 Preludes and Fugues".
A. Mirzoev's Organ Symphony is an integral part of Alexander Fiseisky's repertoire. He is a wonderful organist and a brilliant interpreter of
J. S. Bach's music. The first public presentation of the Symphony took place in Kiev in 1986 and then it was performed in Moscow, Leningrad, Tallinn, Minsk, Kaliningrad and Budapest (St. Matias Cathedral). Most often it appeared in programmes together with Bach's own compositions, but the Symphony stood the severe test and was always a great success.
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