| Muslim Magomaev | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Muslim Mahammad oglu Magomayev |
| Born | August 17, 1942 |
| Origin | Baku, AzSSR, USSR |
| Died | October 25, 2008 (aged 66) |
| Genres | Pop, Opera |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1962–2008 |
| Labels | Melodiya |
| Website | www.magomaev.info |
Muslim Mahammad oglu Magomayev (Azerbaijani: Müslüm Məhəmməd oğlu Maqomayev; Russian: Муслим Магометович Магомаев; August 17, 1942 – October 25, 2008), "King of Songs" [1] or "Soviet Sinatra" [2] as some refer him was an iconic Soviet and Azerbaijani baritone operatic and pop singer of the 1960s and 1970s.[3] Magomayev, with his vocal talent and charisma went to a legendary status in Russia and other post-Soviet countries including his homeland Azerbaijan.[4]
Magomayev was awarded with several honors including People's Artist of Azerbaijan, People's Artists of the USSR (1973),[5] Order of Honour (Russian Federation), Order of the Red Banner of Labour, Order of Friendship of Peoples, Istiglal Order, and Order of "Heart of Darko". Magomayev was also awarded in Chechenya [6] and Poland [7] Magomayev was an art director of Azerbaijan State Bandstand-Symphonic Orchestra from 1975 and performed concerts in France, Bulgaria, Finland, and Canada.
Magomayev died on October 25, 2008 in Moscow from a heart attack and was buried in the Alley of Honors in Azerbaijan.[8] President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was also present at the funeral. The tribute concert, which took place at Crocus City Hall in Moscow featured some of the most important figures of Russian music such as Philipp Kirkorov, Dima Bilan, Larisa Dolina, Valeri Syutkin, Valeriya, Joseph Kobzon, Nikolay Baskov as well as his student Emin Agalarov.[9] The concert was broadcasted on Rossiya 1.[10] Magomayev was an influence on many important musical figures including Alla Pugacheva.[11]
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Muslim Magomayev represented one of the most respected artistic dynasties in Azerbaijan. His grandfather Muslim Magomayev (1885–1937), a friend and contemporary of the prominent Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov, was one of the founders of Azerbaijani-composed music. Magomayev's father, Mahammad Magomayev, who died two days prior to the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II while serving as a soldier in the Soviet Army, was a gifted scenic designer; his mother, Aishet Magomayeva, was an actress.[12]
Magomayev learned to play the piano as a child, and began to take voice lessons at the age of 14. As a teenager, he became interested in Italian songs, American jazz, and other styles of popular music. He majored in piano and composition at the Baku Conservatoire.[12]
"He was 19 when he first performed, at an international youth music festival in Helsinki, the Finnish capital."[12] In 1962, at the age of 20, Magomayev first appeared in Moscow where he performed within the frameworks of the Days of Azerbaijani Culture.[12] He sang two musical pieces ("He chose to sing arias from Gounod’s Faust, and the song Do the Russians Want War?") in a gala-concert on the USSR's main stage, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and became a celebrity on a spur of the moment.[12] A year later he gave his first solo concert in the Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall to a full house and became a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Muslim earned fame in the USSR as an opera singer with Rossini's "Barber of Seville". He also became known for his arias from Puccini's "Tosca", Hajibeyov's "Koroghlu" and "Shah Ismayil", which was composed by his grandfather.[13]
In 1964–1965 Muslim was on probation in the La Scala theatre in Milan, but turned down the invitation to sing in the Moscow Bolshoi Theater upon his return. Instead, the singer turned to popular music, becoming a pop idol for several generations of music lovers in the Soviet Union. Muslim Magomayev's popularity in the USSR was overwhelming. He quickly became a cult figure and gave three concerts a day filling out huge arenas all across the Soviet Union, while his albums sold millions.
In 1966 and 1969 Magomayev performed in Paris Olympia with great success. The director of Olympia Bruno Coquatrix offered him a contract, and Magomayev was seriously considering an opportunity to pursue international career, but Ekaterina Furtseva refused to grant the Ministry of Culture's permission, claiming that it needed Magomayev to perform at governmental concerts. In 1969 he received MIDEM Gold Disc Award in Cannes for the album sales of over 4,5 million units. In 1973, at the very young age of 31, Muslim was awarded the Soviet Union's highest artistic title: People's Artist of the USSR.[14]
Magomayev was also known as a composer, writing several film soundtracks. In addition, Magomayev acted in films and hosted television and radio broadcasts devoted to prominent musicians of the 20th century.
Magomayev moved to Moscow in the early 1970s, where he worked in theater. In 1997, in recognition of Magomayev's professional successes, a Russian astronomical society named a planetoid of the solar system, 4980 Magomaev.[15]
Magomayev was married when he was 19, but the union did not last a year.[12] His daughter from that first marriage, Marina,[16] lives in the United States.[12] He eventually remarried, this time to the opera singer Tamara Sinyavskaya.[12] In later life, Magomayev struggled with a serious heart condition.[12] Magomayev smoked cigarettes all his adult life.
In 1998 Magomayev officially stopped his musical career and had only few performances with his wife. He died on October 25, 2008 in Moscow, in his flat, from a heart attack.[17] He was buried in the Alley of Honors in his native city of Baku, next to his grandfather, on October 29.[15][18] The funeral ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Magomayev's widow Tamara Sinyavskaya, his daughter Marina, as well as state officials and international delegations.[16] Thousands of people came to pay a final tribute to the singer.[16][19]