Rubaba Muradova

Rubaba Khalil qizi Muradova (Azerbaijani: Rübabə Muradova), born Rubaba Ishragi (21 March 1930, Ardabil – 28 August 1983, Baku), was an Azerbaijani opera (mezzo soprano) and folk singer.

Life and career

Rubaba Muradova was born to a family of a cleric in the Iranian city of Ardabil. In 1943, she moved to then Soviet Azerbaijan, and settled in the city of Ali Bayramli. Since age 17, she acted in various roles at the local theatres. In 1950, a troupe from Baku was touring the region. During the tour, an actress for one of the main roles got sick, and the head trouper agreed to replace her by Rubaba Muradova for one night. Despite poor performance (according to Muradova herself), she was successful mostly due to her vocal improvisation of the role. She then was invited to move to Baku to pursue a degree in professional singing.^[1]

In 1953, she graduated from the Zeynalli College of Music in Baku, where she was taught by prominent khananda Seyid Shushinski. She started working at the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theatre in 1954. Her most famous role was that of Leyli in Uzeyir Hajibeyov's Leyli and Majnun (1908). Muradova's lyric improvisations are remembered for their emotionality that would often bring people in the audience into tears. Her colleagues explained this such emotional singing by the difficulties Muradova experienced in her personal life, particularly her being homesick for Ardabil and not being able to visit it because of the closed Soviet-Iranian border.^[2]

In 1971, Rubaba Muradova became the People's Artist of Azerbaijan.

References