Music of Dagestan

Dagestan is a region of Russia. There is a Dagestani Philharmonic Orchestra and a State Academic Dance Ensemble. Gotfrid Hasanov, said to be the first professional composer from Dagestan, wrote "Khochbar", the first Dagestani opera, in 1945.

Dagestani folk dances include a fast paced dance called the "lezginka".

Extensive notes about Daghestani music can be found in the liner notes of the CD release "Ay Lazzat, Oh Pleasure. Songs and melodies from Daghestan" (Pan 2031 CD, Pan Records, the Netherlands, 1995). The disc particularly features the vocals of two famous Daghestani chanteuses, Zuhra Shandieva (1966-1993), who mainly sang traditional music in the Nogai language, and Sanijat Sultanova (b. 1967), singing in the Avar language.