Layla and Majnun

Based on the 7th-century Persian love story, Layla and Majnun is an evening-length production by the Mark Morris Dance Group with music from the Silkroad Ensemble, Alim Qasimov, and Fargana Qasimova.

The piece recounts the story that Lord Byron called the “Romeo and Juliet of the East” through original choreography from Mark Morris and a score based on a 1908 opera by the Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli. The music was first arranged for the Silkroad Ensemble in 2007 by members Johnny Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen in collaboration with Azerbaijani singer Alim Qasimov, an arrangement that the Ensemble toured with Yo-Yo Ma to critical acclaim in 2008 and 2009.

Layla and Majnun toured throughout the U.S., and appeared in Europe and Australia from 2016-2018, featuring costume and set design by painter Howard Hodgkin and lighting design by James F. Ingalls.