(b. 10 November 1951, Baku – d. 10 August 2024, Baku).
Azerbaijani composer, later resident in both Azerbaijan and the USA, of mostly orchestral, chamber and piano works that have been performed throughout Europe and elsewhere.
Prof. Hasanova studied composition with Khayyam Mirzazade at the Asaf Zeynally Music School in Baku from 1968–72 and with Kara Karayev at the Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası – Academy of Music in Baku from 1972–77. She then had postgraduate studies in composition with Kara Karayev there in 1980 and graduated with honours.
Among her honours were a prize for best research paper (1975, 1984) and the Prize of the Government of Azerbaijan (2003). Her music has been performed in Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, the UK, and the USA.
She was also active in other positions. She was a member of the honour committee of the Fondazione Donne in Musica from 1999–2024. She wrote numerous articles on music for publications in Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as the book Solfeggio (2002, XXI Yeni Neshrler Evi).
She taught dramaturgy, the history of music in Azerbaijan and Russia and the music of Africa and Asia at the Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası from 1997–2009, latterly as a professor of new and experimental music. She taught at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County from 2012–20. She lectured on the music of Azerbaijan at seminars of the Fondazione Donne in Musica in Italy from 1998–2000 and at the Chard Festival in the UK in 2001.
She lived in both Azerbaijan and the USA from 2009–24.
SELECT LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Javidi-Destgah (opera in 1 act, libretto by the composer, after Huseyn Javid), soli, speaker, actors, mixed chorus, 4/5 percussion, 2000–01
Maral – Deer or Beautiful Girl (incidental music, play by Huseyn Javid), 2001
Eos-Helios (dance project), on-stage mixed chorus (sopranos, basses), dance troupe, orchestra (8 winds, 4 French horns, timpani, marimba, percussion, strings), 2013 (also concert version for orchestra [8 winds, 3 French horns, trumpet, trombone, tuba, timpani, marimba, percussion, strings])
Pendulum Clocks (chamber opera), soprano (+ percussion), baritone (+ E-flat clarinet, clarinet, A-clarinet, bass clarinet, percussion), 2014
ORCHESTRAL:
Symphony No. 1, large orchestra, 1976
Symphony No. 2, large orchestra, 1977
Pyramids, large orchestra, 1978
The Solitary Voice, large orchestra, 1979, revised 2008
Symphony No. 3, small orchestra (2 French horns, piano, percussion, 4 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, 2 double basses), 1983
Dağ – Mountain, large orchestra, 1995
Night (suite), large orchestra, 1997
Ulduzlarin Laylasi – Lullaby of the Stars, flute, small orchestra (piano, strings), 2003 (also version for orchestra [8 winds, 4 French horns, piano, timpani, percussion, strings], 2015)
Tetraksis, string orchestra, 2005 (version of String Quartet No. 3, 'Tetraksis')
Urfani, flute, piano, small orchestra (violins, violas, cellos), 2007 (version of chamber work)
Samandari, flute, piano, string orchestra, 2007
Concerto No. 2 in One Movement, piano, small orchestra (trumpet, 3 percussion, strings), 2008
The Mystical Moon, large orchestra, 2010
Yurt, large orchestra, 2013
Eos-Helios, orchestra (8 winds, 3 French horns, trumpet, trombone, tuba, timpani, marimba, percussion, strings), 2015 (concert version of stage work)
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Sonata, flute, piano, 1973
String Quartet No. 1, 1974, revised 2017
Pastorale, string quartet, 1974, revised 2016
Yallivari, string quartet, 1975, revised 2017
Impulse, violin, piano, 1981
String Quartet No. 2, 1982
Sonata No. 1, cello, 1986
Patterns on the Sea Sand, cello, 1986, revised 2014
Story-telling Amphoras, violin, 1986, revised 2015
Six Simple Pieces, flute, 1987
Sonata, violin, 1988
Sonata No. 2, cello, 1988
Sumerian Isometries, cello, 1988, revised 2015
Urfani, flute, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, 1988 (also version for flute, piano, small orchestra [violins, violas, cellos])
Shadow Play (sonata), double bass, 1990
Se'maa – Sky, flute, oboe, clarinet, harp, 2 guitars, violin, viola, cello, double bass, prepared piano, bass drum (+ tam-tam), 1994
Agog (sonata), clarinet, 1994
Loom (sonata), guitar, 1995
String Quartet No. 3, 'Tetraksis', 1995 (also version as Tetraksis, string orchestra)
Pirebedil, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, prepared piano (+ voice, percussion), 1996
String Quartet No. 4, 1997
Consensus (sonata), flute, 1997
Trio, French horn, trumpet, trombone, 1999
Mughfil – Mirage, 8 cellos, 4 double basses, 2001
Zarra – Molecule, flute, clarinet, piano, 2003
Nüva – Nucleus, violin, cello, piano, 2003
Concerto No. 1, 2 pianos, 4 percussion, 2007
Ayin, percussion–conductor, 4 percussion, 2008
Rhythmical Streams, flute, piano, 2009
Al Shadda, flute, clarinet, French horn, trumpet, piano, timpani, percussion, 2 or more violins, 1 or more violas, 1 or more cellos, 1 or more double basses, 2009
Verni, flute, clarinet, 2 guitars, piano, percussion, 1 or more violins, 1 or more cellos, 2009
Khazri-Gilavar, E-flat clarinet, clarinet, A-clarinet, bass clarinet, percussion, 2012
Rondo for Two, 2 violins, 2012 (also version for 2 cellos, 2015)
Gaval Dash, cello, piano, 2012
Pulse, clarinet, violin, piano, 2012
Eastern Bazaar, guitar, violin, 2012
Rainforest, alto saxophone, harp, 2012
Dance of Fire, violin, 2012
Zoom out – Zoom in, soprano saxophone, 2012
Zilli, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, 2013
Plasma Clusters, 4 guitars, 2013
Dance of Water, vibraphone (+ maracas), 2 percussion, 2013
Pazyryk, flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello, double bass, 2014
Flying over Canyons, French horn, trumpet, trombone, 2014
Spinning Spheres, French horn, marimba, 2015
Argy-Bargies, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 2015
Solar Winds, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2016
Perfect Equilibrium, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, 2016
Penetrations, bass clarinet, 2016
Purple Spiders, tuba, 2017
Pulseless, violin, cello, piano, 2017
Extinct Volcanoes, double bass, piano, 2018
Quasars, piano, ensemble (2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, double bass/5 double basses), fixed media, 2019–20
CHORAL:
Dodaglarin nalesi (cantata, texts by Pablo Neruda, Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh), female chorus, small orchestra, 1975
Three Miniatures, children's chorus, 1986
Three Songs, mixed chorus, 1986, revised 2010
I Hear (text by Jamila Asgar), mixed chorus, celesta, timpani (+ 4 temple blocks), vibraphone, percussion, double basses, 2010
VOCAL:
Three Ghazals (song-cycle, text by Samad Vurgun), soprano, piano, 1986
Dervish (vocalise), tenor, bass, 2 violins, viola, cello, 1992
Marseaya, 3 ensembles (soprano, alto, tenor, bass, piano; flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon; 2 violins, viola, cello), 1993
Sajda (texts by Ramiz Rovshan, Vafa), soprano, tenor, small orchestra (flute, clarinet, piano, celesta, percussion, strings), metronome, 2006
In Thin Air, soprano, violin, 2018
PIANO:
Ten Easy Pieces, 1969
Theme and Variations, 1970
Scherzo, 1973
Eight Preludes, 1973
Chaconne, 1974
Autumn's Palette (5 preludes), 1976, revised 2017
Çeşma – Fountain (12 chromatic preludes), 1984
Gurama (24 Lyrical Pieces for Children), 1985
The Warrior's Itinerary (5 marches), 1968–88, revised 2018
Monad (sonata), 1990–93
Alla Meykhana (fantasy), 1996
Deniz – The Sea, alto saxophone ad libitum, tenor saxophone ad libitum, 2 pianos, 1997
Jasmin Lechekleri – Jasmine Petals (7 preludes), 1997–98
New Baroque Fugues and Postludes (11 fugues and 11 postludes), 2011–17
Box of Bricks (5 pictures)
ORGAN:
Largo and Scherzino, 1972
Gasida – Chants of Lament (symphony), 1991
Largo, 1998
Sahara (chromatic fantasy), 1999
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
Maral oyunu – Playing of the Deer, fixed media, 2000