Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre was established in 1920 as The United State Theatre. From the year of 1924, the opera troupe was separated from this theatre and acted as an independent opera and ballet theatre (together with Azerbaijan and Russian sections). The Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, the greatest musical theatre in Azerbaijan acts in this nice building that was founded in 1910 from 1920 till today. In 1928 the Theatre was named after M.F.Akhundov. This temple of art is called Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre since 1959. The history of Azerbaijan national opera art begins with the “Leyli and Majnun” opera by Uzeyir Hajibeyov that was put on the performance on January 12 (25), 1908. Till the revolution the opera of “Ashiq Qerib” by Z.Hajibeyov (1916) and “Shah Ismayil” by Muslum Maqomayev (1919) was put on the performance. The repertoire of the theatre was enriched by the operas of “Shahsenem” (1927, R.Qlier), “Nergiz” (1935, M.Maqomayev), and “Koroglu” (1937, U.Hajibeyov) that were written in the form of traditional classical opera. In 1940, the first Azerbaijan national ballet “Maiden Tower” (E.Bedelbeyli), “Homeland” (1945, Q.Qarayev and C.Hajiyev), “Khosrov and Shirin” (1942, Niyazi), “Nizami” (1948, E.Bedelbeyli) operas were put on the performance.
From 1950, Academic Opera and Ballet Opera entered to a new and more effective stage of its development. In these years, the operas of “Sevil” (1955, F.Emirov), “Independent” (1957, J.Jahangirov), “Vagif” (1960, R.Mustafayev), “Bahadir and Sona” (1961, S.Elesgerov), “The Dead” (1963, V.Adigozelov), “Soyudler Aglamaz” (1971, E.Bedelbeyli), “Aygun” (1973, Z.Bagirov), “Gelin qayasi” (1974, Sh.Akhundova), “The deceived Stars” (1977, M.Quliyev), “The Fate of the Singer” (1979, J.Jahangirov), “Natevan” (2003, V.Adigozelov), etc were successfully staged. Besides, “Seven Beauties” (1952, Q.Qarayev), “Qaraca qiz” (1965, E.Abbasov), “Ildirimli yollarda” (1961, Q.Qarayev), “The Legend of Love” (1962, A.Melikov), “Mugam” (1972, N.Eliverdibeyov), “Chitra” (1972, Niyazi), “Arabian Nights” (1979, F.Emirov), “Babek” (1986, A.Elizade), “White and Black” (2000, Kh.Mirzezade), “Love and Death” (2005, P.Bulbuloglu), etc were put on the performance and were soon successfully welcomed in the world.
