In Moscow, on the corner of Voznesensky and Eliseevsky lanes, next to the building of the Embassy of Azerbaijan, there is a monument to Muslim Magomayev. One of the minor planets of the solar system is named after him. During his performances in Italy, France and the USA, the halls did not accommodate those who wanted to hear his surprisingly clear and emotional voice. With extraordinary ease, he sang and complex opera arias and pop songs. Despite the fact that the peak of his popularity fell on the 60s - 70s of the last century, and today he remains the idol of many music lovers.
Childhood and the beginning of a musical career
Muslim Magometovich Magomaev was born on August 17, 1942 in a Baku artistic family. His father Mohammed was a theater artist. A month after the birth of his son, he went to the front and died in Berlin a few days before the end of the war. Aishet, the mother of Muslim Magomayev, was a theater artist. After the war, she left for Russia, and her son stayed in Baku with his uncle Jamal, who replaced both his father and grandfather.
Muslim attended a ten-year school at the Baku Conservatory, where he soon drew attention to his clean and strong voice. Interest in classical vocal art in the boy arose after watching the film "Young Caruso". Muslim listened to records, which were uncle's many, watched films, took notes and sang everything in a row. He was so carried away by singing that he moved from a music school, which did not have a vocal class, to the Baku School of Music.
In 1961, the young singer began working in the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Baku Military District. He performed arias from operas and pop songs. A year later, he was sent to Helsinki, at the VIII World Festival of Youth and Students. After returning from Finland, Muslim Magomayev found out that an article about him was published in Ogonyok magazine: "A young man from Baku conquers the world." Soon he was invited to speak on central television, and a year later Muslim Magomayev took part in the Decade of Culture and Art of Azerbaijan held in Moscow. At the final concert, he performs Cavatina Figaro from Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville. After the performance, the hall exploded with applause. In the box of the concert hall were Minister of Culture of the USSR E.A. Furtseva and the famous tenor Ivan Semenovich Kozlovsky, who, along with everyone, enthusiastically applauded the young Azerbaijani. The next day, all the newspapers in the country wrote about the talent of the singer from Baku.
All-Union fame and world fame
In 1963, he held his first recital in the Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky Moscow Philharmonic. In the same year, Muslim Magomayev became the soloist of the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1964, a young opera singer went on an annual internship to the famous Italian theater "La Scala".
In 1966, Muslim Magomayev first performed on the stage of the legendary Paris Olympia Concert Hall. His second performance at Olympia took place three years later. After these tours with the Leningrad Music Hall, the director of Olimpia offered Muslim Magomayev a contract. Permission for this contract had to be obtained at the USSR Ministry of Culture. Yekaterina Furtseva answered the request from France with a categorical refusal, and Magomayev himself was forbidden to perform at important concerts upon his return to the USSR. The ban was lifted when Yu. V. Andropov, who was then the Chairman of the KGB, wanted to hear Muslim Magomayev at a concert on the occasion of the anniversary of the Cheka / KGB.
Muslim Magomayev received higher musical education after he became the Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR. In 1968, so many students came to his graduation concert at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory that all the windows and doors in the hall had to be opened.
Versatility of creativity
From the very beginning of his career, Muslim Magomayev sang pop songs along with opera arias. In the late 1960s, he performed twice at the Cannes International Recording and Music Festival, and both times received the Golden Disc for several million records sold.
In 1969, Muslim Magomayev performed at the International Pop Song Festival in the Polish city of Sopot and received the main prize in two categories, which contradicts the rules of the festival. The organizers of the famous festival made an exception for the Azerbaijani singer and for the only time in their history awarded two main prizes to the same artist.
Among admirers of the work of Muslim Magomayev there were many famous and influential people. So, for example, Leonid Brezhnev was very fond of listening to Magomaev’s performance of the Italian song "Bella Chao."
Muslim Magomayev’s repertoire included several hundred arias and more than 100 pop songs, many of which, such as the “Queen of Beauty” and “The Best City of the Earth, ” remained popular due to his performance in the 2000s. As a composer, he wrote music for 32 songs and 6 movies. For 14 years (until 1989), Muslim Magomayev was the artistic director of the Azerbaijan State Pop Symphony Orchestra.
Muslim Magomayev was awarded the titles "People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR" and "People's Artist of the USSR." In 2002, he was awarded the Order of Honor for his great contribution to the development of musical art.
