"Arshin mal alan"

Age Limit: 6+

Сomposer: Uzeyir Hajibeyov

Libretto: Uzeyir Hajibeyov

Genre: Comedy

Language: Azerbaijani

Duration of the performance: 2 hour 10 minutes

Conduktor: Sevil Gadjieva (honoured art woker)

Prolducer: Hafiz Guliyev (honoured art woker)

                                         Plot of the opera:

Asker, a young merchant, wishes to see his future wife before |marriage to make sure that he likese her. Unfortunately, no father will show his daughter to him, as this would break the tradition. A friend of Asker Suleyman advises him to disguise himself as a street vendor and to walk along the yards offering his wares to young girls in order to see them and choose a future wife. Only in this way will he have a chance to see and to fall in love with a girl to his liking.

Following to his friend's advice and disguising himself as a street vendor, Asker came to Sultan bey's palace. At that time Gulchohra, Sultan bey's daughter, her cousin Asya and servant Telli were sitting in the yard, sewing and talking to each other. Gulchohra was complaining about a woman's destiny, which forces her to get married to a man she has never seen. At that moment, Asker entered into the yard and started to offer his goods to the girls. They started a conversation. Gulchohra and Asker stayed face to face for a short period of time. They liked each other. Gulchohra made a promise to Asker not to get married to anybody except him. 

Asker delegated Suleyman to Sultan bey's palace to propose him to his daughter as a husband. Sultan bey agreed to marry off his daughter to a merchant. Gulchohra refused to follow her father's will, as she didn't know that her beloved street vendor and Asker are one and the same person. Enraged by the refusal of his daughter, Sultan bey urged Asker to speed up plans to celebrate the wedding. Then, Gulchohra was forcibly kidnapped to Asker's home. Gulchohra nearly decided to commit a suicide, but suddenly she heard well- known song of the "arshin-malchi" (street vendor). Meeting Asker,

Gulchohra asked him to run away with her, but he disclosed the truth to her, laughing. The comedy is concluded by four weddings: Asker is married to Gulchohra,

Suleyman with Asya, servants Velli and Telli and aged Sultan bey married Asker's aunt Jahan.