Azernews.Az

Azerbaijanis revered the memory of prominent singer Muslim Magomayev on Friday. Government officials and rank-and-file citizens laid flowers to the grave of the world-famous artist on his 70th birthday anniversary.

Magomayev was born on August 17, 1942, in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. His grandfather, Muslim Magomayev Sr., was a renowned composer in Azerbaijan. Young Magomayev followed his father's footsteps by pursuing a music career: he studied singing and piano at the Baku Conservatory of Music.

He shot to fame in the USSR in 1962, at the age of 19, after a stellar performance at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. In 1963 he became known in Europe after a successful performance at the Youth Festival in Helsinki, Finland. That same year, he appeared in the famous Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in the Russian capital for his first recital. At that time, popular singer Klavdiya Shulzhenko wrote: "The moment Muslim Magomayev appeared, it became a huge event. He is greater than all other singers. Everybody adores him." Magomayev became an instant celebrity and gained a wide acclaim in the Soviet Union and far beyond.

During the mid-1960s Magomayev made a very important progress in perfecting his vocals skills: he took further training in the La Scala Opera Theater in Milan. His studies in Italy, the country of innumerable art treasures, the "Home" of Bel canto, were highly beneficial for his singing, and also affected his inner world. Magomayev remained forever a supporter of the Italian school of singing. His adoration for such great singers as Beniamino Gigli, Gino Bechi, Tito Gobbi, 'Mario del Monaco' and Enrico Caruso was the driving motivation for his studies of opera art.

Magomayev himself splendidly sang the leading arias of Figaro, Scarpia, Mephisto, Onegin. However, his success in popular music interfered with his opera career. It was very similar to what happened to his favorite singer, Mario Lanza, about whom he wrote that Hollywood "stole" Mario Lanza from the opera stage. In 1969 Magomayev won the International Song Competition in Sopot, Poland and also won the First "Golden Disc" at the Cannes Music Festival with 4.5 million of his records sold that year. At age 30, Magomayev was one of the youngest recipients of the highest artistic title, People's Artist of the USSR. He also received numerous awards and decorations for his contribution to opera and popular music in the Soviet Union.

Magomayev died of a heart failure on October 25, 2008, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Baku.