2025 Program

The opening of the Baku Arts Festival (BIAF) will feature one of the most brilliant pianists of his generation — Behzod Abduraimov (Uzbekistan). A laureate of the London International Piano Competition, Abduraimov performs on the world’s most prestigious stages — from Carnegie Hall to the Concertgebouw, collaborating with leading orchestras across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

The concert will be performed in collaboration with the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, conducted by Fuad Ibragimov.

The evening's program includes Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, works by Dmitri Shostakovich, and compositions by Azerbaijani composers - a musical portrait where classical heritage and national tradition come together in a unified festival context; a dialogue between eras, cultures, and musical forms.

Delay the Sadness is the newest creation by Sharon Eyal, made exclusively for her company S-E-D (Sharon Eyal Dance), founded in France in 2023. This is the company’s second work since its founding, following the triumphant success of Into the Hairy (contemporary dance), which received international awards.

Immersed in universal and intimate themes of memory, grief, and continuity of life, this choreography unfolds like an emotional poem — about motherhood, breath, dance, and dreams. The original score is composed by Josef Laimon, with lighting by long-time collaborator Alon Cohen.

Co-produced by leading European festivals, the work will be shown at BIAF directly following its world premiere.

Sharon Eyal is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary dance, a former soloist and resident choreographer with Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company. Since 2005, she has collaborated with producer and artist Gai Behar, creating numerous works for the Paris Opera Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, NDT, and more.

The performance features 10 actors, acrobats, and musicians from the renowned Compagnia Finzi Pasca, which has toured in 46 countries worldwide. Legendary director Daniele Finzi Pasca, known for his creations for Cirque du Soleil, Olympic ceremonies, and leading theatres around the world, brings his newest poetic fantasy to Baku: TITIZÉ – A Venetian Dream. The world premiere took place in July 2024 at Teatro Goldoni in Venice.

This production merges circus, theatre, acrobatics, and music, drawing inspiration from the spirit of Venice and the language of dreams. Masks, reflections, illusions, floating bodies, and impossible balances come to life on stage. Built on rich visual metaphor, TITIZÉ invites audiences of all ages into a fragile, luminous, and enchanting world where clowns become poets, and movement becomes language.

This gala concert, dedicated to the centenary of Julian Sitkovetsky, brings together outstanding musicians from around the world. A special event within the festival, it serves as a musical tribute to one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century - an artist of exceptional depth, whose brilliant career was cut tragically short but left an indelible mark on musical history.

The evening will feature his son, Dmitry Sitkovetsky — violinist, conductor, and one of the most versatile musicians of our time. Dmitry was born in Baku, into a renowned musical family. His mother, Bella Davidovich, is one of the most acclaimed pianists of her generation and a laureate of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. This concert is a deeply personal return to his roots, filled with emotion and cultural resonance.

Program:

• J.S. Bach: Triple Concerto
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher
• Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne for Piano & Strings (rare version)
• Dmitri Shostakovich: String Symphony

Two titans of the international stage — director Robert Lepage and dancer-choreographer Guillaume Côté — join forces in a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Premiered in spring 2024 in Toronto.

Robert Lepage’s worldwide acclaim as a director, innovator, and multidisciplinary artist underscores the status of this work as a major cultural event. His company, Ex Machina, is among the most influential theatrical brands in the world. Lepage’s awards include the Legion of Honour, the Stanislavsky Award, the Europe Theatre Prize, the Glenn Gould Prize, and more.

This production relies not on elaborate technologies but on clarity, precision, and the concentrated intensity of the performers’ presence. The stage, lit by artificial candlelight, evokes the shadowed halls of Elsinore Castle and immerses the viewer in the atmosphere of the late Middle Ages.

The production of Anna Karenina, based on the iconic novel by Leo Tolstoy and presented at the festival by the renowned Gesher Theatre from Tel Aviv, is a subtle and piercing reflection on love, freedom, and the inevitability of fate. The production is directed by Rimas Tuminas, one of the most celebrated directors in contemporary European theatre.

This stage version avoids conventional set designs and theatrical excess - instead offering the clarity of direction, vibrant presence of the actors, and a refined inner dramaturgy. Anna’s story unfolds on an almost empty stage, where every look, gesture, and pause is charged with tension and light.

The role of Anna is powerfully performed by Efrat Ben-Zur, portraying a woman who seems to sense the approach of her tragic end from the very beginning.

Known for its layered, visually precise, and emotionally resonant productions, Gesher Theatre offers a modern scenic reading of a classical text - free from spectacle, but rich in artistic integrity.

Igor Stravinsky’s world-renowned masterpiece The Rite of Spring takes on new life in this large-scale interpretation by celebrated Chinese choreographer Yang Liping. On her stage, Eastern philosophy, Buddhist symbolism, and ancient rituals are reawakened in a striking visual and choreographic experience.

This is not a remake, but a fully original work — a reflection on the cycles of life and death, self-sacrifice, and spiritual rebirth. The central figure is not a victim, but a willing mediator between worlds, whose soul is purified through sacrifice and enters a new stage of existence.

The production captivates not only with its philosophical depth, but also with its powerful visual language: the set design by Tim Yip, Oscar winner for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, merges mandalas, masks, Tibetan rituals, and luminous symbols into a cohesive spiritual space.

Created in collaboration with festivals in London, Beijing, Edinburgh, and Shanghai, this production is already being hailed as the most powerful Chinese reinterpretation of The Rite of Spring.

The festival's closing gala concert is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Polad Bulbuloglu — an outstanding composer and cultural figure of Azerbaijan, whose name is closely associated with the flourishing of the country’s musical and civic life. Special guest of the evening - world-renowned violinist and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky.

Bringing the festival to a close, this evening will stand as a musical tribute of respect and gratitude to the legacy of a master who has inspired generations.

The program includes works by the jubilarian, reflecting the breadth and richness of his compositional voice: Concert Waltz; Symphonic Dances (Girls’ Dance, Oriental Dance, Yalli); Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Agitato – Allegro, Lento, Vivo).