Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva
Violinist Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva will perform the program “The Many Faces of 20th Century Music” for her Faculty Artist Series concert on Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Ramsey Hall. The program includes pieces by Bohuslav Martinu, Erno Dohnányi, Sergei Prokofiev, Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe and Karol Szymanowski.
Joining Azimkhodjaeva is Anatoly Sheludyakov, University of Georgia collaborative pianist.
The program opens with Martinu’s viola sonata, which was composed toward the end of the Czech composer’s life. The sonata, written for piano and viola, will be performed by Azimkhodjaeva on the viola.
“Not many people perform two instruments in one recital,” said Azimkhodjaeva. “I chose works which are rarely performed, despite being written by the great composers.”
The Hungarian pianist, composer and conductor Dohnányi’s most important chamber work for violin and piano, “Violin Sonata in C sharp minor Op 21,” was composed in Berlin in 1912. Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, commissioned by the Kirov Ballet, quickly came to stand among the world’s most popular ballets. Belgian violinist and conductor Ysaÿe was inspired to compose violin works that represented the evolution of techniques of his time period and expressed those throughout his compositions. This approach can be heard in his “Sonata No. 4 in E minor.” Szymanowski composed his “Nocturne and Tarantella” for violin and piano as a dedication to his friend. The “Tarantella” is written in a relentless Neapolitan 6/8 rhythm, with double stops, left-hand pizzicatos and other effects.
Azimkhodjaeva, originally from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, joined the violin faculty of the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music in 1995. She began violin studies at the Tashkent State Conservatory’s Special Music School. At age 11, she made her debut with the Uzbekistan Symphony Orchestra and won the Uzbekistan National Violin Competition.
Tickets for the concert are $12 for adults and $3 for students and are available at pac.uga.edu. Streaming will not be available for this concert. For more information about the Hodgson School, visit music.uga.edu.