An Azeri musical duo teamed up with a Korean violinist at the Korea Foundation Spring Concert at Seoul Arts Center on Friday, showcasing a dazzling performance of classical music.

Cellist Aleksey Miltych, pianist Saida Tagi-Zadeh and violinist Kim Bomsori played duets and trios by Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Piazzolla, as well as compositions by Azerbaijan composers Gadjiyev, Amirov, Karayev, Zulfugarov and Gadjibekov.

The Azeri musicians told The Korea Herald that they were invited to perform in Korea after submitting recordings to the foundation through YouTube.

“We wanted to show Azeri compositions that are unknown to the Korean public, which combine Western classical and Azeri folk music,” they said. “As many Azeri musicians studied in Moscow and St. Petersburg during the Soviet era, our music has a strong Russian influence alongside the traditional Mugham, an Azeri folk genre derived from Arabic music using extensive improvisation.”

The foundation annually invites musicians from abroad through embassies in Korea to stage joint performances with Korean artists. The concert, cohosted by the foundation and Azerbaijani Embassy, was a follow-up event from the Korea Festival program in Baku, Azerbaijan, last year.

(joel@heraldcorp.com)