By Esmira Aliyeva
Published on
The Baku International Arts Festival (BIAF) enters its second weekend with a programme full of diverse stage performances.
BIAF features international stars of theatre, music, dance, and opera, along with unique collaborations, premieres, and ethnic projects.
The Oscar-winning art director Tim Yip, best known for his work on the film ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, has contributed to much excitement around the city by creating a set design for Igor Stravinsky’s world-renowned masterpiece The Rite of Spring, which is interpreted by the celebrated Chinese choreographer Yang Liping.
Song for my father
The festival features other renowned figures like pianist Behzod Abduraimov, director Robert Lepage and violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky.
For Sitkovetsky participating in the festival means not only performing, but also returning to his birthplace, which he left soon after his father Julian’s death at the age of 32.
Now, he is celebrating his father’s legacy and the centenary of his birth with a gala concert featuring the Baku State Orchestra.
The show was a deeply personal return to his roots, filled with emotion and cultural resonance.
Speaking to Euronews moments before taking the stage on Friday, Dmitry Sitkovetsky shared his reflections: “For this concert I brought five musicians from different parts of Europe and Asia. Tonight is very special because it’s dedicated to my great father, Julian Sitkovetsky, who died so early only at the age of 32, but he left phenomenal recordings and whoever heard him once never forgot.”
Sitkovetsky believes that this festival underlines the importance and international nature of Baku’s cultural scene.
“I’m a fourth-generation professional musician. I have a document that shows that our professional life in my family started in 1889. So, the whole wonderful history of the 20th-century music in Azerbaijan is directly connected with my family. My mother Bella Davidovich is one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, lived and grew up here until she was 17 years old,” said Sitkovetsky.
Svetlana Dvoretskaya, a member of the BIAF advisory committee, says the festival’s main aim is to strengthen ties with the international cultural institutions and festivals to create a wider cultural network.
“Cooperating with international community is an essential part of any successful cultural enterprise, and especially for a new festival like BIAF. However, in this inaugural year, we have already co-produced and cooperated with two major presentations – Sharon Ayal, and Robert Lepage’s Hamlet. We’ve been part of the co-producing, co-creating teams and not just the presenters. We’re going to search for the best ideas, international community has to offer,” said Dvoretskaya.
She also expressed her confidence about Baku’s potential to stand alongside the world’s most renowned arts festivals, such as Salzburg and Avignon.
Festival events are being staged at some of Baku’s most popular venues, including the Heydar Aliyev Centre, the State Philharmonic Hall, the National Drama Theatre, the State Musical Theatre, and several others.
BIAF is organised with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan. The festival continues until 16 November 2025.