Muslim Magometovich Magomaev (1942-2008), a true “Chairman of the Board” and “Generalissimo”. We shall miss him greatly. His decency and humility shone forth to all. The world suffered a great loss today.
Singer Muslim Magomaev, a legendary crooner of the Soviet stage, died in Moscow on Saturday (local time), aged 66, after a long illness, his personal website and Russian news agencies reported. Magomaev, who launched his career with an internship at Milan’s famed La Scala opera theatre in 1963 and who enjoyed great success at Paris’s Olympia theatre, abandoned opera in favour of a more pop repertoire, becoming a legend of the Soviet Union’s 1960s generation.
Born in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku in 1942, Magomaev sang over 600 Russian and Neapolitan romances, classical arias, and pop songs, and was himself the author of over 20 songs and film soundtracks. Named a People’s Artist of the USSR in 1973, Magomaev later founded Azerbaijan’s state symphonic orchestra and headed it, 1975-89.
“Muslim’s death is one of the worst shocks for me, but, his first appearance many years ago was also a shock, happy, sunny, and wonderfully emotional, he immediately won over colleagues who admitted he was more talented”, friend and fellow singer Lev Leshchenko said. “Muslim was one and only, he gave people new hopes, and all of our country sang his songs, he was a great singer, a great artist”, Mr Leshchenko told the online newspaper Dni.
President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin offered their condolences to Magomaev’s widow, opera singer Tamara Sinyavskaya, with Russia’s culture ministry comparing Magomaev to Frank Sinatra and Yves Montand in their statement. Ninth round matches in Azerbaijan’s football championship will begin with a minute of silence honouring Magomaev, the website Azerisport.com reported.
26 October 2008
AFP
As quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Company website
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/26/2401388.htm?section=world (in English)
