Voice of the era: Who is Muslim Magomayev and how is he remembered?

Friday of last week, namely March 22, 2024, left a scar in the hearts of millions of people – on this day, a terrorist attack occurred in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow, which claimed the lives of more than a hundred people. Experiencing this is scary, painful and unbearable. In memory of the victims of the tragedy and as a sign of hope for the future, Russian artists, artists of various genres and formations, today released a joint album “Hear My Voice”, in which they interpret 12 songs of the legendary Muslim Magomayev. Named after the demolished Crocus concert hall, it was the song “Cranes Are Flying” played at the “Memorial Candle” event on the national day of mourning.

We explain who he was and how he wrote his name in history.

Start: “A young man from Baku conquers the world”

Muslim Magomayev was born on August 17, 1942 in Baku into a family of theater workers: Magomet Magomayev was a theater artist, and Aishet Kinzhalova was promising in the field of acting. Unfortunately, he was not close to his parents: his father died at the front 15 days before the end of the war, and his mother soon started a new life with her new husband in Murmansk. The future artist lived with his uncle’s family in the so-called “artists’ house” and since childhood he had been listening to the vocal exercises of his neighbor, the famous Azerbaijani singer Bülbül, in the mornings. Remember his grandfather, composer Abdul-Muslim Magomayev; It is no longer surprising that Muslim Magomayev was addicted to music from an early age. He studied piano and composition at the Baku Conservatory music school, took lessons from the cellist professor who taught him to sharpen his voice, then was accepted to the vocal department of the Baku Music College, cultivating the voice of the first Azerbaijani. opera singer Shovket Mammadova.

Muslim Magomayev first appeared on stage at the age of 15 and, secretly from his parents (they were against it – weak ties could lead to loss of voice) performed at the Baku sailors’ House of Culture. Four years later he made his debut in the professional Song and Dance Ensemble of the Transcaucasian Military District, and a year later he performed the song “Buchenwald Alarm” at the VIII Congress in Helsinki. He became the award winner of the World Youth and Student Festival. ” Muslim Magomayev recalled that the people greeted him warmly and with applause, and in newspaper articles they wrote: “A young man from Baku conquers the world.” However, despite all the recommendations, his name became loud after his performance in the Kremlin Palace. Congresses at the last concert of the Azerbaijan arts festival on March 26, 1963. Already in the autumn of the same year, at his first solo concert at the P. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, he gathered the entire hall – Muslim Magomayev’s talent seemed undeniable and aroused everyone’s admiration.

The Orpheus of the 20th century or the Peak of Glory

Then there was the status of a soloist at the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater named after Akhundov, an internship at the La Scala theater in Milan, performances in the largest cities of the Soviet Union, but the already established artist did not accept this offer. Join the Bolshoi Theater troupe – he did not want to limit himself only to opera performances. Meanwhile, Muslim Magomayev not only toured the territory of the USSR and gathered entire halls at the Olympia Theater in Paris in 1966 and 1969 – his director suggested the artist to make him an international star and sign a contract. year, but the Ministry’s culture of the USSR did not allow this to be done.

It was not for nothing that Muslim Magomayev, perhaps, enjoyed popularity on a national scale – he was a universal singer. In the early 70s, his repertoire included approximately 600 works, some of which were his own compositions. In 1969 he became the laureate of the Music Festival in Sopot, Poland, received the “Golden Disc” award at the International Recording Festival in Cannes and became the first Soviet performer to receive the honor of touring in the United States.

He was compared to the ancient Greek Orpheus, the hero of legends, and was known not only for his deep voice (he was a gentle baritone, smoothly merging into high bass), but also for his extraordinary artistry and temperament. And it was definitely not a matter of special vocal techniques, it was what the artist himself calls the movement “from heart to voice.” Yes, he was convinced that it was the spirit that began to sing, and if a performer appeared on stage “cold as the Olympic god” the audience greeted him accordingly. It was this approach that once brought Muslim Magomayev worldwide fame, because he gathered thousands of people in stadiums, often appeared on Soviet television, starred in films, and his records were sold in huge quantities.

But Muslim Magomayev was also not immune – this is how the record of criminal prosecution appeared in his personal file. The fact is that after a concert in Rostov-on-Don with the Don Cossacks Song and Dance Ensemble, the audience refused to let the artist go – as a result, he performed for more than two hours and received an award. triple fee for it (606 rubles instead of 202). The organizers assured that the Ministry of Culture approved this rate, but this did not turn out to be the case, and lawsuits began, according to which the artist was banned from touring outside Azerbaijan. He used this time to graduate from the Baku Conservatory in the vocal class, and in the end, the matter was personally terminated by KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov – they waited for Muslim Magomayev at the anniversary concert in Andropov’s department. Another scandal was marked by his song “The Best City in the World”, which angered the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev – they say, why are they playing a twist on the radio? Following this story, a few months later, a joke will appear that if you try to ban Muslim Magomayev, they will ban you too, since Nikita Khrushchev will soon be dismissed from his post.

“You are my melody” as a dedication to love

Muslim Magomayev was married twice: his first marriage to his classmate at the Baku Music College, Ophelia Velieva, lasted only a year, despite the birth of his daughter, but opera singer Tamara Sinyavskaya managed to become his love for the rest of his life. life.

She recalled the first time she heard her future husband’s voice: “I would go to the ends of the earth for a voice like that.” It was a very beautiful story: he confessed his love to her with the song “You are my melody”, they endured a year of separation while studying at La Scala, and in the end they played a closed wedding after Tamara Sinyavskaya divorced her husband.

However, the couple’s happiest day turned into months of silence for Muslim Magomayev; this was because he opened the window in the middle of the celebration, sang in front of a large crowd of fans, and caught a cold.

In memory of Muslim Magomayev

In general, the artist’s health was deteriorating: his lungs were weak, he was deaf in one ear due to childhood measles, and smoking only increased his problems. The first small changes in his voice, which not everyone noticed, forced Muslim Magomayev to leave the stage at the peak of fame. There were no explanations, no farewell tours – he wanted to be remembered as healthy, capable, without pity or regret. So, after 1998, Muslim Magomayev’s voice no longer left the stage, and he plunged into a quiet family life with his joys: he was painting, communicating with fans on his own website on the Internet. “God has given a certain period of time for every voice and every talent, there is no need to go beyond that,” he said.

On October 25, 2008, Muslim Magomayev passed away – he died of coronary heart disease in the arms of his wife. Exactly one year later, in memory of the great artist, the Crocus City Hall concert hall will be named after him.