A pupil of Shostakovich, Kara Karayev had a highly expressive, individual style infused with the harmonies and melodic characteristics of the music of his native Azerbaijan.

Karayev’s 1964 Third Symphony combines elements of traditional Azerbaijani music, such as the five-hundred year-old ashug melody, with contemporary compositional techniques.

Leyla and Mejnun, one of Karayev’s most popular works, was inspired by the great twelfth-century Azerbaijani poet, Nizami, while Don Quixote is based on musical material for a film score.

This is the first time that these works have appeared on compact disc.