The Specific Features of the Genre in A. Abbasov’s Symphonic Poems

Abstract

Various composers have played a highly significant role in the development of national musical culture. Their creative activity enriches the national musical treasury with multifaceted musical interpretations. Naturally, each of these interpretations possesses its own individual forms. The genres to which composers turn are equally diverse. In realizing a musical idea, a composer embodies a concrete artistic conception through the expressive means employed, the timbral richness of orchestral language, dramaturgical development, and the multidirectional evolution of the sphere of images.

One of the composers in Azerbaijani musical culture whose creative path bears an unmistakable personal signature is Ashraf Abbasov. As a composer endowed with distinctive individual qualities, Abbasov has secured a unique place in national musical culture through his original artistic legacy. The present article examines the works he composed in the genre of the symphonic poem, focusing on their formal and generic characteristics, the creative style manifested in these works, the thematic range he adopts, and the originality of his expressive means. His symphonic poems are characterized as among the most striking examples of the genre in the history of national musical culture. It is noted that the composer wrote his first works in this genre as early as the 1940s, and that these pieces constitute some of the earliest examples of the symphonic poem in Azerbaijani music.

In his symphonic poems, Abbasov underscores the importance of formal and generic features for his compositional thinking. He organically fuses national musical elements with components of European classical music. This synthesis enables him to emphasize national characteristics in his symphonic poems. The article discusses these and related aspects. It is also emphasized that Abbasov is extremely attentive in selecting subjects for his symphonic poems. Summarizing his creative achievements, these works represent artistic examples that hold a distinctive place within the rich heritage of national musical culture.