A year has passed since the death of Muslim Magomayev. The People's Artist of the USSR died on October 25, 2008. And although Muslim Magometovich never lived in the capital of the Arctic, here he was rightfully considered and is considered a countryman. And not just like that. He liked to come to Murmansk. His mother lived here and his brother Yuri Magomaev and sister Tatyana Zaitseva still live here. It was with her that we remembered the great artist. Muslim did not see his brother and sister as often as they all probably wanted. But all these meetings were memorable.

For the kids, he brought a Polish curiosity - chewing gum

Magomayev's mother was an actress and therefore traveled a lot. So is polar theater stage she gave a dozen years. Younger children: Yuri and Tatyana (their age difference with Muslim was 16 and 14 years, respectively), while still small, they traveled with their mother. Muslim, at that time, already lived alone, and comprehended the musical Olympus, where he achieved certain success. The first memorable meeting with his brother and sister took place in the singer's homeland in Baku.

We then lived in Chimkent, in Kazakhstan, - the interlocutor recalls. - It was 1961. 19-year-old Muslim was already famous in Azerbaijan. He called his mother and invited her to a wedding in Baku. His bride was the girl Ophelia.

The singer's first wife still lives in Baku. And here is his only daughter now from the States. Marina settled in San Francisco and keeps in touch with relatives, including Aunt Tanya from Murmansk.

Mom took us little ones and went to the wedding, - continues Tatyana Leontievna. - From that moment I remember him. She, then, had just arrived from abroad, from a song festival in Poland, and brought us chewing gum. In a transparent package were chewing pads: yellow, white, red - such a sweetish taste. Few people in the Soviet Union saw them at that time. 61st year, what kind of chewing gum are there, what are you talking about! Then there was nothing at all. He gave us a small handful, but we did not understand what to do with it. Then Muslim explained: this is chewing gum, it must be chewed. We were surprised of course. After all, children at that time chewed: resin and wood glue. And here is such an import thing. I don't remember the wedding itself. I was only five years old, after all. But the festivities were going on in a large beautiful Baku courtyard. It was fun, warm, a lot of people gathered.

Trip to the camp "Gaidar"

All-Union fame came to Magomayev just a year later. And in 1963 he became a soloist with the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theatre. However, Muslim moved to Moscow only closer to thirty years.

Mom had tours around the country every summer, which ended around the end of August, the artist's sister continues. – And we almost always passed through Moscow. When Muslim moved to the capital, they began to look at him as well. True, it happened that we were going, and he was on tour, we were going back - he was again outside the capital. It happened that because of this we did not see each other for several years, but the meetings were always warm. I remember how he joked. When I was young, I had a braid down to my knees. Muslim pulled my braid and said: “Tanka, don’t even think about cutting the braid.” I was in Moscow more often than my brother Yuri. I went there to the ballet school, for example, to enter. Once, on one of these trips, Muslim handed me a ticket to the Gaidar pioneer camp in the Moscow region. Very interesting. I met a girl there who I'm still friends with today.

In Moscow, for the first time, Magomayev lived in the Rossiya Hotel. When relatives came to him, they were forced to leave the building with the artist only through the back door. The popularity of Muslim Magometovich was wild. You gape a little, crowds of fans fly in.

Once we had already left the hotel and were sitting in the car, and Muslim was standing nearby in a white suit. Suddenly, one of the fans saw him and immediately people came running. A minute later there was not a single button on the suit, the pockets were torn off. Ripped off for memory. He had to go to change clothes and go out through another door later, - Tatyana recalls. - There were pests, of course. Once, at a concert in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, a crowd of young people sat and stomped Muslim's entire speech. His mood was then greatly spoiled. Barely finished the concert.

Meanwhile, Magomayev was gaining popularity. He got housing, married the singer Tamara Sinyavskaya, and his family moved to Murmansk.

Liked? It's a snake!

By the time of the first visit to the Arctic, Magomayev's relatives had lived here for 23 years. The artist called very often, sent greeting cards with all the holidays, but everything did not work out. And so it happened in 1995. Magomaev in Murmansk.

On that visit, he gave many interviews on radio and television, - says the artist's sister. - And then there was a wonderful concert. In his course, Muslim turned to the audience from the stage and said that my mother, Aishet Akhmedovna Magomaeva, was sitting in the hall. People applauded. When he came to our house, I thought about how to treat my brother. You won't be surprised. “Muslim, will you have borscht?” He told me: “I will be more and how! Finally, normal Russian cuisine, otherwise they feed me in restaurants with all sorts of delights. Pampered. And so I want simple homemade food.

Usually, like any native of the Caucasus, he liked to celebrate holidays in a big company. So, as an artist, he spent his anniversaries on stage, and on the second day he arranged a reception for friends and relatives. Often in the restaurant "Baku".

There, for the first time in my life, I tried a snake, - Tatyana Leontyevna laughs. - We sit at the table, celebrate, eat. I see such black diamonds with green streaks. I thought it was something from meat with the addition of greens. I tried it: soft, tasty, but I can’t make out exactly what it is. Something so tender, just melts in your mouth and looks like meat. I also took it - I liked it! Muslim sits next to him and laughs: “What does Tanya like?” "Yeah, I mean, it's delicious." “Do you know what you eat? It's a snake!" I was surprised, but not disgusted. Yummy indeed! This was 17 years ago. Muslim celebrated his 50th birthday. The great entertainer Boris Brunov led the anniversary evening. At one point, he turned to those gathered at the tables: “I ask the whole room to stand up, Muslim Magomayev’s mother is here! And I, with your permission, will come up and kiss the hand."

He loved jokes and taught Baskov

Magomayev was known as a great joker and was very fond of jokes. There was no need to invent any funny stories. When you often communicate with stars of the first magnitude, such as Pugacheva or Kobzon, funny stories appear by themselves. Actively helped young artists.

Trained Nikolai Baskov, for example. But at the same time, Magomayev liked to retire. He closed himself in a separate office - he painted, wrote music. After all, many of the songs that the artist performed, written "from the side" had only poems. Hereditary talent apparently affected:

Mom sang wonderfully, - continues Magomaeva's sister. - Tamara and Muslim looked at each other, God forbid we sing so wonderfully at this age. At the age of 70, to have such a clear sonorous voice. She always sang on holidays and in general. She even had her first role - Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro.

Wine, according to the memoirs of his sister, Magomayev, despite the Caucasian blood, did not favor. But he loved good, expensive cognac. In moderation, of course. But he smoked a lot last days. Surprisingly or not, he never had problems with his voice from this.

The last two years I have passed very well, - Tatyana completes. Didn't want to be seen sick. He was going to definitely get better and gather friends to celebrate his birthday, as before. 2003 hit him hard. Then his beloved uncle died, and immediately his mother became very ill. After her mother's death, he wilted.

From concert performances to last years he refused. And the song "Farewell, Baku", recorded in 2007, became the final in his long career.

They thought that Muslim would live a long time. It's like that in our family. All longevity. Until the age of 80, my mother didn’t even have a card in the clinic ... But Muslim left too early.

Yuri Yurievich Magomaev is widely known as a singer and author of his own compositions. The great popularity of the nephew of Muslim Magomayev is by no means obliged only to his famous relative. Yura has personal talents that helped him achieve success in his work. The singer has his own music albums and several well-known hits.

Biography of Yuri Magomaev. Start

In the city of Murmansk on September 12, 1979, Yura Magomayev was born. Further fate The baby was identified by his mother. From the early childhood she hired piano tutors for him. Upon reaching the age of seven, the boy entered a music school, at the same time participating in a choir for boys located in the Kirov Palace of Culture.

TO creative biography Yuri Magomayev also had a hand in the sister of Muslim Magomayev - Tatyana. With her light filing, the young talent took up ballroom dancing. Classes were held in the Inter-Union Palace. But Yura did not appreciate the impulse of his own aunt and soon gave up these classes. Tatyana believed that Muslim Magomayev's nephew should be talented not only in the musical direction, but also in the dance. However, this direction creative life Yura was not given to happen.

After graduating from school, Yuri Magomaev decided to enter the music school in the pop department. But this did not happen, because future artist early began to earn a livelihood, forgetting about his studies. Upon reaching the age of eighteen, he had already managed to work in various restaurants in his native city.

early years

Three years later, he went to work seasonally in Sochi. For ten years, life continued in such a monotonous way. After seasonal work, in winter, Muslim Magomayev's nephew sometimes returned to hometown. By 2006, Yuri finally moved to Moscow.

At some point, the young man even dreamed of becoming a pilot. civil aviation. But this was also not destined to come true because of the boy's poor eyesight. At that time, he did not even think about a musical career.

A sharp turn in the biography of Yuri Magomayev occurred after the death of Muslim Magometovich, who died on October 25, 2008. Until then, Yuri worked as a musician and DJ in various restaurants in the capital. Obviously, the father's creed, which said that there should not be two Magomayevs, had an effect.

Magomaev family

Few people knew that Yura's father, the eldest Yuri Magomayev, was the brother of Muslim Magomayev. In his youth, the Murmansk musician often had cases when he was shamelessly asked about his family, and in particular about a great and famous relative. It irritated him greatly when strangers climbed into the soul like that. And he hid it from strangers. Only the most trusted friends knew that Yuri was Muslim's mother's brother.

The depth of the history of the Magomayev family begins with the fact that the unknown girl Aishet in the forties became the wife of Magomet Magomayev, who worked as a theater artist in Baku. In 1942, the couple had a child, a boy, who was named Muslim. The father of the family, like many men then, went to the front. He went through the whole war, almost to the end. He died in May forty-fifth, not having lived a few days before the victory.

Aishet Akhmedovna Magomaeva was a provincial actress and often went on tour. It was decided to leave little Muslim with his father's brother in Baku. The child showed a talent for musical art, and he needed to receive an appropriate education. And with the nomadic life of the mother, this was impossible.

procreation

Aishet toured various cities: Tver, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Ulan-Ude, Chimkent and many others. Life went on, and at some point Muslim's mother met Leonty Kavka in the capital of Buryatia. He was her colleague in creativity, they performed on the same stage. Here in 1958 Magomaev Yuri Leontievich was born. Aishet never entered into an official marriage with Leonty Kafka, although they lived all their lives together in civil marriage. Yuri Leontyevich recalls with philosophical nostalgia that he still had a dash in his birth certificate opposite the father column.

The musician buried his parents a long time ago. Father who worked in Lately at the Murmansk Drama Theatre, died almost thirty years ago, and his mother lived to retire and died in 2003.

But then, back in 1971, thirteen-year-old Yuri was just beginning. While studying at a music school, the talented keyboardist simultaneously played in the vocal and instrumental ensemble "Constellation" of the Railway Workers' Palace of Culture on Oktyabrskaya. All this he managed even then at a fairly high level. professional level. At that time, each palace of culture was assigned its own ensemble. The participants of such VIA were, for the most part, graduates and students of music schools. It was full-time staff and, according to all the rules, received wages as musical professionals.

Creativity of the past years

In the seventies, the main place of entertainment for young people were discos. Young people got to know each other and often at such events a new unit of society was born. In the Palace of Culture, where Yuri Magomayev, Muslim Magomayev's brother, played, as part of the Constellation, people were often packed twice as much as planned. Yuri warmly recalls those times, that atmosphere of the holiday. He still meets with members of his then ensemble: bass player Sasha Ignatenko, drummer Vitya Varnik, guitarist Andrey Karpenko. With vocalist Vyacheslav Usov, Yuri Valentinovich is still collaborating in the musical field.

In the early 80s, more than twenty restaurants operated in Murmansk. Many had their own live music ensemble. Sailors were frequent visitors of that time. They moved our musical progress, bringing from abroad vinyl records of modern popular performers. So Yuri Magomaev Sr. got acquainted with the work of the legendary groups Deep Purple, Animals and Eagles. The composition of the latter was an undoubted hit in Murmansk restaurants, which Yuri performed by ear with his group on frequent orders from visitors.

Career opportunities

In 1985, the father of Yuri Yuryevich Magomayev and his ensemble opened the prestigious Meridian restaurant. At this event, he was spotted by the founder of the then most popular VIA Pesnyary. Yuri was invited to try to work with the ensemble, not only as a keyboardist, but also as a singer. Magomayev refused, joking: "Which of me is a Belarusian."

Ten years before this incident, Yuri rejected an invitation to participate in the Arai group, which later gained popularity under the name A-Studio.

In the 90s, he received an offer to settle in Finland as a professional performer, but here, as a singer, Yuri Magomayev did not take place.

The legacy of the Magomayevs

The son of Yuri Leontyevich experiments in his songs with such directions as pop, chanson, rock, jazz, mixing them in search of new unique compositions. After the release of the album "Fly away" our hero is preparing new pieces of music. Many of them have already seen the light and have undoubted popularity.

A separate moment in the biography of Yuri Magomaev is a meeting with the father of the popular performer Katya Ogonyok - Evgeny Penkhasov. This man became a very close person and mentor for Yuri.

The People's Artist of the USSR died on October 25, 2008. And although Muslim Magometovich never lived in the capital of the Arctic, here he was rightfully considered and is considered a countryman. And not just like that. He liked to come to Murmansk. His mother lived here and his brother Yuri Magomaev and sister Tatyana Zaitseva still live here. It was with her that we remembered the great artist. Muslim did not see his brother and sister as often as they all probably wanted. But all these meetings were memorable.

For the kids, he brought a Polish curiosity - chewing gum

Magomayev's mother was an actress and therefore traveled a lot. So she gave the polar theater scene a dozen years. Younger children: Yuri and Tatyana (their age difference with Muslim was 16 and 14 years, respectively), while still small, they traveled with their mother. Muslim, at that time, already lived alone, and comprehended the musical Olympus, where he achieved certain success. The first memorable meeting with his brother and sister took place in the singer's homeland in Baku.

We then lived in Shymkent, in Kazakhstan, - the interlocutor recalls. - It was 1961. 19-year-old Muslim was already famous in Azerbaijan. He called his mother and invited her to a wedding in Baku. His bride was the girl Ophelia.

The singer's first wife still lives in Baku. But his only daughter is now from the States. Marina settled in San Francisco and keeps in touch with relatives, including Aunt Tanya from Murmansk.

Mom took us little ones and went to the wedding, - continues Tatyana Leontievna. “From now on, I remember him. She, then, had just arrived from abroad, from a song festival in Poland, and brought us chewing gum. In a transparent package were chewing pads: yellow, white, red - such a sweet taste. Few people in the Soviet Union saw them at that time. 61st year, what kind of chewing gum are there, what are you talking about! Then there was nothing at all. He gave us a small handful, but we did not understand what to do with it. Then Muslim explained: this is chewing gum, it must be chewed. We were surprised of course. After all, children at that time chewed: resin and wood glue. And here is such an import thing. I don't remember the wedding itself. I was only five years old, after all. But the festivities were going on in a large beautiful Baku courtyard. It was fun, warm, a lot of people gathered.

Trip to the camp "Gaidar"

All-Union fame came to Magomayev just a year later. And in 1963 he became a soloist with the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theatre. However, Muslim moved to Moscow only closer to thirty years. The artist's sister and nephew, Tatiana and Yuri, are sorting through old photographs.

Mom had tours around the country every summer, which ended around the end of August, the artist’s sister continues. – And we almost always passed through Moscow. When Muslim moved to the capital, they began to look at him as well. True, it happened that we were going, and he was on tour, we were going back - he was again outside the capital. It happened that because of this we did not see each other for several years, but the meetings were always warm. I remember how he joked. When I was young, I had a braid down to my knees. Muslim pulled my braid and said: “Tanka, don’t even think about cutting the braid.” I was in Moscow more often than my brother Yuri. I went there to the ballet school, for example, to enter. Once, on one of these trips, Muslim handed me a ticket to the Gaidar pioneer camp in the Moscow region. Very interesting. I met a girl there who I'm still friends with today.

In Moscow, for the first time, Magomayev lived in the Rossiya Hotel. When relatives came to him, they were forced to leave the building with the artist only through the back door. The popularity of Muslim Magometovich was wild. You gape a little, crowds of fans fly in.

Once we had already left the hotel and were sitting in the car, and Muslim was standing nearby in a white suit. Suddenly, one of the fans saw him and immediately people came running. A minute later there was not a single button on the suit, the pockets were torn off. Ripped off for memory. He had to go to change clothes and go out through another door later, - Tatyana recalls. - There were pests, of course. Once, at a concert in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, a crowd of young people sat and stomped Muslim's entire speech. His mood was then greatly spoiled. Barely finished the concert.

Meanwhile, Magomayev was gaining popularity. He got a house, married the singer Tamara Sinyavskaya, and his family moved to Murmansk.

Liked? It's a snake!

By the time of the first visit to the Arctic, Magomayev's relatives had lived here for 23 years. The artist called very often, sent greeting cards with all the holidays, but everything did not work out. And so it happened in 1995. Magomaev in Murmansk.

Magomaev family archive

On that visit, he gave many interviews on radio and television, - says the sister of the artist. – And then there was a wonderful concert. In his course, Muslim turned to the audience from the stage and said that my mother, Aishet Akhmedovna Magomaeva, was sitting in the hall. People applauded. When he came to our house, I thought about how to treat my brother. You won't be surprised. “Muslim, will you have borscht?” He told me: “I will be more and how! Finally, normal Russian cuisine, otherwise they feed me in restaurants with all sorts of delights. Pampered. And so I want simple homemade food.

Usually, like any native of the Caucasus, he liked to celebrate holidays in a big company. So, as an artist, he spent his anniversaries on stage, and on the second day he arranged a reception for friends and relatives. Often in the restaurant "Baku".

There, for the first time in my life, I tried a snake, - Tatyana Leontyevna laughs. - We sit at the table, celebrate, eat. I see such black diamonds with green streaks. I thought it was something from meat with the addition of greens. I tried it: soft, tasty, but I can’t make out exactly what it is. Something so tender, just melts in your mouth and looks like meat. I also took it - I liked it! Muslim sits next to him and laughs: “What does Tanya like?” "Yeah, I mean, it's delicious." “Do you know what you eat? It's a snake!" I was surprised, but not disgusted. Yummy indeed! This was 17 years ago. Muslim celebrated his 50th birthday. The great entertainer Boris Brunov led the anniversary evening. At one point, he turned to those gathered at the tables: “I ask the whole room to stand up, Muslim Magomayev’s mother is here! And I, with your permission, will come up and kiss the hand."

He loved jokes and taught Baskov

Magomayev was known as a great joker and was very fond of jokes. There was no need to invent any funny stories. When you often communicate with stars of the first magnitude, such as Pugacheva or Kobzon, funny stories appear by themselves. Actively helped young artists.

He taught Nikolai Baskov, for example. But at the same time, Magomayev liked to retire. He closed himself in a separate office - he painted, wrote music. After all, many of the songs that the artist performed, written "from the side" had only poems. Hereditary talent apparently affected:

Mom sang wonderfully, - continues Magomaeva's sister. - Tamara and Muslim looked at each other, God forbid we sing so wonderfully at this age. At the age of 70, to have such a clear sonorous voice. She always sang on holidays and in general. She even had her first role - Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro.

Wine, according to the memoirs of his sister, Magomayev, despite the Caucasian blood, did not favor. But he loved good, expensive cognac. In moderation, of course. But he smoked a lot and until the last days. Surprisingly or not, he never had problems with his voice from this.

Muslim Magomayev visiting his mother.

The last two years I have passed very well, - Tatyana concludes. Didn't want to be seen sick. He was going to definitely get better and gather friends to celebrate his birthday, as before. 2003 hit him hard. Then his beloved uncle died, and immediately his mother became very ill. After her mother's death, he wilted.

From concert performances in recent years, he refused. And the song "Farewell, Baku", recorded in 2007, became the final in his long career.

They thought that Muslim would live a long time. It's like that in our family. All longevity. My mother didn’t even have a card at the clinic until she was 80 ... And Muslim left too early.

October 25 at the age of 66 due to coronary disease Muslim Magomayev died in Moscow, the famous Soviet singer, in whose work the classics, Soviet patriotism and love for Western music paradoxically combined.


Since the first solo concert of Muslim Magomayev in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall 45 years ago, the country considered him a standard variety artist. On October 28, they said goodbye to Muslim Magomayev in the same hall. “Muslim, you are our lost miracle,” said Alexandra Pakhmutova. Of course, the words about the loss were not only about the death of the singer, but also about long years his life spent away from the place on Olympus he deserved. It was not in vain that journalists noted that many treated the memorial service in Moscow not only as a farewell, but also as an occasion to meet with an artist who was silent in the last period of his life. "We knew that he was sick and suffering from loneliness, but did nothing to help him," said Iosif Kobzon. Muslim Magomayev was buried in Baku, next to the famous grandfather and uncle.

The rapid success of Muslim Magomayev is easiest to explain by his origin. It's easy to make a career when the philharmonic in your city actually bears your name. Muslim Magomayev was the full namesake of his grandfather, after whom the Baku Philharmonic is named.

Muslim Magomayev Sr. is considered the founder of Azerbaijani classical music. After graduating from the Transcaucasian Teacher's Seminary in Gori, where playing the violin was a compulsory subject, he became a conductor and opera composer even before the revolution. Under the new government, Magomayev began to write music based on Azerbaijani folk motives with a Soviet bias: he owns "Dance of a Liberated Azerbaijani Woman", the rhapsody "On the Fields of Azerbaijan" and the opera "Nargiz", which is considered the pinnacle of his work, the main character of which was a peasant girl. In 1935, Magomayev Sr. was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR. But on July 28, 1937, he died in Nalchik, according to the official version - from transient consumption. Some media have already suggested in our time that he was repressed and shot, but it is unlikely that the name of the repressed in the same 1937 was given to the Baku Philharmonic. So in this case, the official version is most likely true.

Muslim Magomayev's parents were also creative people. Father Magomet Magomayev is a theater artist and amateur musician. He went to the front as a volunteer, and in 1945, nine days before the end of the war, he died in the small town of Kustrin near Berlin. Mother is a theater actress.

But Muslim was brought up in the family of his uncle, the younger brother of his father. Jamal-Eddin Magomayev was a major party and economic figure. After the war - Deputy Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, later - a member of the Central Committee of the Republic, Permanent Representative of the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan in Moscow.

It would seem that the presence of such relatives should explain the rapid success of the young Muslim. But everything is not so simple.

When the grandson of the great Azerbaijani composer discovered a rumor, he was sent to a music school at the conservatory. He was promised a career as a pianist, but sitting for hours in front of the instrument was not in the nature of Muslim. Very soon, the young musician took up singing seriously. At the age of 15, he gave his first concert at the Sailor's House. He sang despite the objections of his relatives, who believed that early concert activity would damage the development of the voice.

Muslim Magomayev was really lucky with his family, but he presented evidence of his own viability as a musician already in the very early age. While studying at the vocal department of the music school, he took lessons from the famous Baku teacher of the conservatory Susanna Mikaelyan. And when he sang, students and teachers gathered under the door of Mikaelyan's office to listen to Figaro's cavatina from The Barber of Seville and Alyabyev's Nightingale, which Muslim performed as a ringing youthful soprano. Even then it was clear that this boy was not only the grandson of his grandfather and the nephew of his uncle.

At the age of 20, Muslim Magomayev refuted another stereotype - that "stars" from the national republics of the USSR appear mainly according to the order from above and can only decorate government concerts, performing mainly folklore repertoire. In 1962, Magomayev performed at the Azerbaijani Art Festival in the Kremlin. Performed "Buchenwald Alarm" by Vano Muradeli and Figaro's aria. "This guy does not save himself at all if he repeats such a difficult aria for an encore," Ivan Kozlovsky said after the singer's Baku relatives. Ekaterina Furtseva noted: "Finally, we have a real baritone." This “with us” became a pass to the league of “Soviet artists”: from now on, Magomayev’s voice was not only the property of his republic, but a value of allied significance, including an export item. Through the Komsomol, Muslim Magomayev went on tour to Finland. The magazine "Spark" came out with an article "A young man from Baku conquers the world." In 1963, the singer was admitted to the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater named after Akhundov, but he was already irrevocably "ours", "common": no one else thought about his Azerbaijani roots.

In 1964-1965, the Soviet singer underwent an internship at the La Scala theater in Milan. None of the domestic pop singers can boast of such a line in the curriculum vitae anymore. After touring the USSR with material from "Tosca" and "The Barber of Seville", Muslim Magomayev was offered a job at the Bolshoi Theater, but with all the enthusiasm of the opera public, the young artist clearly understood that his place was the stage. The invitation of the main theater of the country was rejected.

It is not known what was more difficult for him - to say "no" to the Bolshoi or to resist the temptation to stay in Paris, where he was offered a contract at the Olympia Theater. In this hall, Magomayev had a resoundingly successful tour in 1966 and 1969, an engagement for a year was offered by the director of the hall, Bruno Coquatrice, but the USSR Ministry of Culture was against it. They wanted to see the singer regularly at the Kremlin government concerts. Muslim Magomayev later wrote in his memoirs: “It was possible to stay, but impossible. favorite word"Can"".

The motherland did not want to let go of the "real baritone", but he was allowed to do a lot of things that others could not even think about. Partly by right People's Artist USSR, which he became at an unprecedented age - at the age of 31. Partly because of the sympathy for him in the highest government offices. Among his fans were Leonid Brezhnev and Yuri Andropov, and they were quite satisfied with the musician's approach to the repertoire.

The basis of its programs formally consisted of opera arias, romances and songs of patriotic content. But it is still striking that a completely official repertoire coexisted in his performances with songs that were essentially symbols of the pernicious influence of the West. Muslim Magomayev erased the boundary between "serious" and "light" music, which existed both in the code of bureaucratic rules and in the minds of listeners. When such a voice comes into play, the genre fades into the background. Magomayev was a kind of loudspeaker through which Soviet people got acquainted with the music of the rest of the world, and quite quickly. And in the choice of songs, the singer was never mistaken.

Even at that very triumphal concert in the Tchaikovsky Hall in 1963, after the official part of the program with works by Bach, Mozart, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Gadzhibekov, Muslim Magomayev sat down at the piano and sang the twist "24,000 Baci". This happened just two years after Adriano Celentano performed this hit, the first of his career, at the Sanremo festival. Muslim Magomayev easily coped with "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley and "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. And it was the performance of Muslim Magomayev that was preceded by the names "Lennon" and "McCartney" first spoken by the host of the concert from the stage of the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. The song, announced by the host as "Yesterday", Magomayev sang in English.

Muslim Magomayev sang the first Soviet twists "Queen of Beauty" and " Best City Earth" - and twists were no longer considered a capitalist infection. Muslim Magomayev sang the most restaurant Soviet hit "Wedding" - and restaurant hits registered on the stage. Muslim Magomayev recorded all the male vocal parts for "In the footsteps of the Bremen Town Musicians", a sequel to the first Soviet animated musical "The Bremen Town Musicians" ", and the genre of the musical was finally recognized in the theaters of the country. Magomaevsky Troubadour is the most compelling argument in the debate about whether we had rock music that could stand on a par with Western music, and "The Sun Will Rise" performed by him is absolutely brilliant a thing that is not inferior to any Lloyd Webbers.

Muslim Magomayev never lived from album to album, from hit to hit. By 1974, by the time of his marriage to his second wife, singer Tamara Sinyavskaya, he had already done the most important thing. He proved that even in the strictest political system talent can be close to complete freedom, while remaining popularly loved. He knew exactly when to leave. In one interview, he admitted: "For every voice, every talent, God has determined a certain time, and there is no need to step over it." He again said "no" - as once to the Bolshoi and "Olympia". This time - aging in front of the public, the inevitable conversations behind your back: "healed", "burned out", "exhausted". The path of Sinatra, who had reached gray hair, was not for Magomayev, but he, unlike the American crooner, was initially released more. We will never know whether Magomayev missed the stage in the last years of his life, whether he regretted his almost seclusion. Comments like that were not his style.

Unlike fellow pop artists, who, as in a joke, said goodbye but did not leave, Muslim Magomayev never officially announced his retirement and did not arrange farewell concerts. He simply reduced the number of performances every year, devoting time to graphics, sculpture, filming, literary work, creating music for theatrical performances. In recent years, he mastered the Internet and actively managed his own website. He rarely appeared on television as a wedding general, but he willingly told the audience about the life of opera and pop stars. I tried not to stay in hospitals. He died without ever complaining about his fate.

On the whole, she was kind to him.

Boris Barabanov


For the kids, he brought a Polish curiosity - chewing gum

Magomayev's mother was an actress and therefore traveled a lot. So she gave the polar theater scene a dozen years. Younger children: Yuri and Tatyana (their age difference with Muslim was 16 and 14 years, respectively), while still small, they traveled with their mother. Muslim, at that time, already lived alone, and comprehended the musical Olympus, where he achieved certain success. The first memorable meeting with his brother and sister took place in the singer's homeland in Baku.

We then lived in Shymkent, in Kazakhstan, - the interlocutor recalls. — It was 1961. 19-year-old Muslim was already famous in Azerbaijan. He called his mother and invited her to a wedding in Baku. His bride was the girl Ophelia.

The singer's first wife still lives in Baku. But his only daughter is now from the States. Marina settled in San Francisco and keeps in touch with relatives, including Aunt Tanya from Murmansk.

Mom took us little ones and went to the wedding, - continues Tatyana Leontievna. “From that moment on, I remember him. She, then, had just arrived from abroad, from a song festival in Poland, and brought us chewing gum. In a transparent package were chewing pads: yellow, white, red - such a sweet taste. Few people in the Soviet Union saw them at that time. 61st year, what kind of chewing gum are there, what are you talking about! Then there was nothing at all. He gave us a small handful, but we did not understand what to do with it. Then Muslim explained: this is chewing gum, it must be chewed. We were surprised of course. After all, children at that time chewed: resin and wood glue. And here is such an import thing. I don't remember the wedding itself. I was only five years old, after all. But the festivities were going on in a large beautiful Baku courtyard. It was fun, warm, a lot of people gathered.

Trip to the camp "Gaidar"

All-Union fame came to Magomayev just a year later. And in 1963 he became a soloist with the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theatre. However, Muslim moved to Moscow only closer to thirty years.

Mom every summer had a tour of the country, which ended around the end of August, continues the artist's sister. – And we almost always passed through Moscow. When Muslim moved to the capital, they began to look at him as well. True, it happened that we were going, and he was on tour, we were going back - he was again outside the capital. It happened that because of this we did not see each other for several years, but the meetings were always warm. I remember how he joked. When I was young, I had a braid down to my knees. Muslim pulled my braid and said: “Tanka, don’t even think about cutting the braid.” I was in Moscow more often than my brother Yuri. I went there to the ballet school, for example, to enter. Once, on one of these trips, Muslim handed me a ticket to the Gaidar pioneer camp in the Moscow region. Very interesting. I met a girl there who I'm still friends with today.

In Moscow, for the first time, Magomayev lived in the Rossiya Hotel. When relatives came to him, they were forced to leave the building with the artist only through the back door. The popularity of Muslim Magometovich was wild. You gape a little, crowds of fans fly in.

Once we had already left the hotel and were sitting in the car, and Muslim was standing nearby in a white suit. Suddenly, one of the fans saw him and immediately people came running. A minute later there was not a single button on the suit, the pockets were torn off. Ripped off for memory. He had to go to change clothes and go out through another door later, - Tatiana recalls. There were also pests, of course. Once, at a concert in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, a crowd of young people sat and stomped Muslim's entire speech. His mood was then greatly spoiled. Barely finished the concert.

Meanwhile, Magomayev was gaining popularity. He got a house, married the singer Tamara Sinyavskaya, and his family moved to Murmansk.

Liked? It's a snake!

By the time of the first visit to the Arctic, Magomayev's relatives had lived here for 23 years. The artist called very often, sent greeting cards with all the holidays, but everything did not work out. And so it happened in 1995. Magomaev in Murmansk.

On that visit, he gave many interviews on radio and television, - says the artist's sister. - And then there was a wonderful concert. In his course, Muslim turned to the audience from the stage and said that my mother, Aishet Akhmedovna Magomaeva, was sitting in the hall. People applauded. When he came to our house, I thought about how to treat my brother. You won't be surprised. “Muslim, will you have borscht?” He told me: “I will be more and how! Finally, normal Russian cuisine, otherwise they feed me in restaurants with all sorts of delights. Pampered. And so I want simple homemade food.

Usually, like any native of the Caucasus, he liked to celebrate holidays in a big company. So, as an artist, he spent his anniversaries on stage, and on the second day he arranged a reception for friends and relatives. Often in the restaurant "Baku".

There, for the first time in my life, I tried a snake, - Tatyana Leontyevna laughs. - We sit at the table, celebrate, eat. I see such black diamonds with green streaks. I thought it was something from meat with the addition of greens. I tried it: soft, tasty, but I can’t make out exactly what it is. Something so tender, just melts in your mouth and looks like meat. I also took it - I liked it! Muslim sits next to him and laughs: “What does Tanya like?” "Yeah, I mean, it's delicious." “Do you know what you eat? It's a snake!" I was surprised, but not disgusted. Yummy indeed! This was 17 years ago. Muslim celebrated his 50th birthday. The great entertainer Boris Brunov led the anniversary evening. At one point, he turned to those gathered at the tables: “I ask the whole room to stand up, Muslim Magomayev’s mother is here! And I, with your permission, will come up and kiss the hand.

He loved jokes and taught Baskov

Magomayev was known as a great joker and was very fond of jokes. There was no need to invent any funny stories. When you often communicate with stars of the first magnitude, such as Pugacheva or Kobzon, funny stories appear by themselves. Actively helped young artists.

He taught Nikolai Baskov, for example. But at the same time, Magomayev liked to retire. He closed himself in a separate office - he painted, wrote music. After all, many of the songs that the artist performed, written "from the side" had only poems.

Hereditary talent apparently affected:

Mom sang wonderfully, - continues Magomaeva's sister. - Tamara and Muslim looked at each other, God forbid we sing so wonderfully at this age. At the age of 70, to have such a clear sonorous voice. She always sang on holidays and in general. She even had her first role - Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro.

Wine, according to the memoirs of his sister, Magomayev, despite the Caucasian blood, did not favor. But he loved good, expensive cognac. In moderation, of course. But he smoked a lot and until the last days. Surprisingly or not, he never had problems with his voice from this.

The last two years I have passed very well, - Tatyana concludes. Didn't want to be seen sick. He was going to definitely get better and gather friends to celebrate his birthday, as before. 2003 hit him hard. Then his beloved uncle died, and immediately his mother became very ill. After her mother's death, he wilted.

From concert performances in recent years, he refused. And the song "Farewell, Baku", recorded in 2007, became the final in his long career.

They thought that Muslim would live a long time. It's like that in our family. All longevity. My mother didn’t even have a card at the clinic until she was 80 ... And Muslim left too early.

Ruslan VARENYK