BIOGRAPHY

In the USSR Muslim Magomaev has stayed a Superstar for a very long time – from the 1960s into the 1990s. His brilliant, warm, soft sincere voice (lyric-dramatic baritone) has made millions of people (especially women) ecstatic all over the country.

Magomaev is a multitalented artist. He is an accomplished pianist, a composer who has written many wonderful songs, a star of the operatic stage and (later) a singer of popular songs. He is a skilled amateur painter. He has written an interesting book and produced a number of programs on radio and TV about the life of Mario Lanza. He played the title role in the 2-part movie "Nizami" - about the well-known Azerbaijanian poet and philosopher of the 14th century. Magomaev is not simply famous, he is and was a mega-star for many years. Here I suggest his brief biography:

Muslim Magomaev was born in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, in 1942. It was the time of WWII (Great Patriotic War for the Soviet Union). His father was a military officer and was killed during a battle in Poland a few days before the Victory. He was given the name Muslim after the name of his grandfather, Muslim Magomaev (who died in 1937), a famous Azerbaijanian composer, who wrote the first Azerbaijan operas. You can find an aria perfomed by the grandson on the "AUDIO" page.

His mother and uncle made up their minds to teach him the piano. But Muslim himself had a dream to become a singer, and later graduated from the Conservatory of Baku as a vocalist and composer. But popularity came to him much earlier, when he was 18. He sang a song "The Alarm-Bell of Bouhenvald". Many listeners were touched by that dramatic singing. Moscow became acquainted with him in the spring of 1963 at a concert in Tchaikovsky Hall. Although it was his first concert in Moscow, the hall was overfilled.

In the winter of 1964 he and his friend Vladimir Atlantov (tenor) were among the Soviet singers sent to"La Scala" in Milan for further training. That was a common practise for that time - the Bolshoi theatre accepted a group of Italian ballet-dancers, and Soviet singers were sent to Italy. His teachers in Italy were maestro Genarro Barra and maestro Enrico Piazza.

In the 1960s Magomaev became the soloist the of Baku Opera Theatre. His best received roles were Figaro in “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and Scarpia in “Tosca”. Later he was invited to the Bolshoi theatre, but declined as he refused to sing Soviet operas, the main staple of the Bolshoi’s repertoire.

At the same time he gave concerts and recorded many popular songs. In 1969 he was awarded his first "Golded disc" at the MIDEM festival in Cannes, as 4.5 million of his vinyl discs had been sold. Hardly 30 years old, he was awarded the “People's Artist of the USSR” - the highest artistic title given by government.

Muslim Magomaev sang PLENTY of music - operatic, romantic and mostly popular. It's the case when a singer turns from OPERA to POPULAR MUSIC. It was not a mistake. He could have become a world-famous operatic baritone but chose instead to become the Great popular singer in the USSR.

He has more than 600 recordings and a lot of pieces were sung in concerts - operatic arias, neapolitan songs, lyrical songs and even patriotic songs. Magomaev is considered the best Figaro of his time in the USSR. His charming recordings of neapolitan songs are highly appreciated all over the world.

Now he lives in Moscow with his beautiful wife Tamara Sinyavskaya, the famous Russian mezzo. Today, occasionally, he appears in concerts to sing one or two pieces in duet with his wife. It's a pity that he does not do more of this.