“In terms of popularity, only a few in domestic variety art could compete with Muslim Magomaev whose admirable baritone, high artistry and heartfelt generosity conquered generations of listeners. His range of capabilities was uncommonly wide – from operas to musicals, from Neapolitan songs to vocal works of Azerbaijani and Russian composers…”, wrote Sviatoslav Belza in the foreword to the singer's book Melody Is My Love. In Magomaev's art, the borders and divisions between high and low, classical and popular appear as conditional and irrelevant as they never are he could win hearts with an operatic aria, a folk song or a pop tune in his own inimitable style.
Muslim Magomaev combined operatic performances with popular music concerts for many years without being untrue to himself and preserving a high vocal mastery. A soloist of the Azerbaijani Theatre of Opera and Ballet, he was trained at Teatro alla Scala and performed on many of the opera stages of the Soviet Union, but rejected (what a rare case!) the invitation to the Bolshoi Theatre realizing the colossal responsibility of such a step. He could not and did not want to sacrifice his versatility and openness, his contact with millions of fans, his concert and studio work, his acting and composing career even on as a magnificent operatic altar as that.
His recordings of Russian and foreign classical opera music accomplished 50 years ago with a friend and companion, remarkable Azerbaijani composer and conductor Niyazi Tagizade-Gadjibekov sound as bright and unexpectedly fresh today as they did then. Magomaev's skills of musical and acting transformation are striking and a probable object of envy to many of the celebrated operatic performers. A sparkling and ever cheerful Figaro (the singer polished his greatest part during his training in Italy); a Don Juan radiating masculine magnetism; a Prince Igor absorbed in heavy thought and with his heart directed to his loving wife; a firm Ethiopian leader Amonasro dreaming of revenge; a Méphistophélès finely playing with superstitious horror of the crowd; and a Rigoletto who is truly frightful in his despair – all the roles performed by Magomaev even in short fragments are united through profound humanness which makes us empathize the characters. He was one of the first Soviet singers to perform in the original languages although the language barrier was something that never existed between Magomaev and his audience.
“I always miss him and wait for our new meetings, wait for a chance to hear and see what this wonderful talent brings to his numerous admirers,” wrote actor Innokenty Smoktunovsky about Muslim Magomaev.
We are confident that people will wait for new meetings with him today and many years after as they will listen to the voices of his favourite Mario Lanza, Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi and Frank Sinatra, those who gave themselves up to their listeners, music and art.
