THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

Rahilia Hasanova

(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.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Website: http://www.rahiliahasanova.com/

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