Alim Qasimov Ens

Alim Qasimov is an Azerbaijani mugham singer and musician, born in 1957 and associated with Qobustan, Azerbaijan. He is known for work in traditional Azerbaijani music and is regarded as a leading performer of mugham in Azerbaijan.

Music and style

Qasimov performs mugham, a classical Azerbaijani form that combines improvised music with poetry. His performances often use ghazals by classical poets including Khagani, Fuzuli, Shirvani and Sabir. He describes mugham as something spiritual and open-ended rather than a fixed system of meanings, and he selects poetry himself according to whether it moves him emotionally.

Mugham is also understood as an ensemble form, usually involving tar, standing kamanche and daf, and Qasimov performs with an ensemble as well as in a duo setting with his daughter Fargana Qasimov.

Recordings and collaboration

Qasimov has recorded nine albums. He and Fargana Qasimov have recorded three mugham albums together. The verified membership information also identifies Alim Qasimov Ensemble and the duo of Alim and Fargana Qasimov.

Performances and recognition

He has performed in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Brazil, Iran and the United States. In 1999, he wins the UNESCO Music Prize, one of the major international awards for musicians. French newspaper Le Monde describes him as having a “Magic Voice”, and Folk Roots Magazine calls him one of the greatest singers of the 20th century.

Career notes

Qasimov’s career nearly ends when he is 14, after an unsuccessful appearance in a local music contest. He continues with mugham after that setback and later attracts new listeners to the genre, including younger audiences and Russian-educated Azerbaijanis who do not usually listen to mugham.

He also makes a series of performances in Tabriz, Iran, where interest is high enough for the number of concerts to increase. His daughter Fargana does not perform on that trip because women are not allowed to appear as featured soloists in front of men in that setting.