“Harun and Leyla” is Uzeyir bey Hajibeyli’s the sixth -final mugham opera. The work was composed in 1915 but was never staged. Its libretto was written by Uzeyir Hajibeyli himself based on the motifs of an eponymous Arabic epic. It consisted of five acts. According to the author’s personal notes, “the opera’s piano was destroyed before the performance of the work.” Apparently, the composer was not satisfied with the opera’s music and referred to the work as a “musical play”. Having already reached the conclusion that the possibilities of the mugham opera had been exhausted, the composer did not write any mugham operas after “Harun and Leyla.”

 In the opera “Harun and Leyla” Uzeyir bey addresses the theme of romantic love taken from Eastern life.

Brief summary of the opera: Leyla, the daughter of the Arab emir, and the commander Harun love each other. However, their marriage is a dream, as the emir would never give his daughter to an ordinary soldier. Commander Zeyd is also in love with Leyla, but she firmly rejects his declarations of love. The emir’s army prepares to fight the enemy. The ruler promises everyone that he will fulfill any wish of the soldier who returns victorious from the battle, except for the throne. The army, along with Harun and Zeyd, sets out. In the battle, Harun’s army is victorious, but Zeyd, unable to accept defeat and the fear of losing Leyla, resorts to treachery and kills Harun’s men along with his own soldiers, mortally wounding Harun himself. Believing his rival to be dead, Zeyd comes to the emir and announces his victory and his desire to marry Leyla. Although the emir is deeply distressed by this wish, he is compelled to keep his promise. Leyla asks for a forty-day delay. A dervish passing by the forest finds the wounded Harun and heals him. Harun heads to the palace. It is Leyla and Zeyd’s wedding day. The young girl, mourning her lover for forty days and shedding tears day and night, is ready to die. When Leyla attempts to commit suicide, Harun enters and prevents her. The lovers reunite. Zeyd’s betrayal is uncovered, and he is arrested. After learning the truth, the emir consents to the marriage of Leyla and Harun.

The announcement in the press in 1915 regarding the presence of a considerably polyphonic choir as an innovation in the opera, the precise statement of its premiere date, and the printing of the libretto even as a separate booklet suggest the likelihood that the work was fully completed. However, the opera was never staged, and neither the musical material nor the manuscript has survived.

It appears that this stemmed from the composer’s own exacting standards.

“Harun and Leyla” was historically set to be staged after successful works such as “Mashadi Ibad”, “Asli and Kerem”, and “Arshin Mal Alan.”After his acclaimed and celebrated works, it would have been difficult to expect a weaker composition from Uzeyir bey.