Interview: Alim Qasimov, Mugam Maestro

The sublime Azeri singer, one of the world's finest, in a rare interview

by Peter CulshawThursday, 16 September 2010

Alim Qasimov: Sublime, transcendent

With his sublime renditions of Azerbaijan's classical music, Alim Qasimov is one of the world's great performers. On the eve of the singer's appearance at the Barbican’s Transcender Weekend of spiritual trance music, where he is performing this Sunday, theartsdesk recalls a trip to the old Soviet state to drink vodka, play chess and find out about this extraordinary singer.

Qasimov moved around the flames and began to sing, songs of love gone wrong, songs to nature and the divinity

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