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Ten Azerbaijani performers who conquered the USSR - PHOTO

All-Union fame, tours, sold-out crowds and applause from fans accompanied popular Azerbaijani performers, who undoubtedly contributed to the development of Soviet musical culture. Magomayev, Beibutov, Bulbul and many others - their voices were among the most powerful and recognizable, and their songs were sung by the whole country.

According to Oxu.Az, The Moscow-Baku portal presents the ten most popular performers from Azerbaijan, whose names conquered the entire Soviet Union.

1. Muslim Magomaev

In the 70s of the last century, opera and pop singer Muslim Magomayev had no equal in popularity. Television and radio constantly played his songs “Evening on the roadstead”, “Blue Taiga”, “Beauty Queen” and many others. Muslim first performed professionally in the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Baku Military District in 1961, and a year later he was sent to the World Youth Festival in Helsinki. At the same time, in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the singer won all-Union fame by performing at the festival of Azerbaijani art. After an internship at the Italian opera La Scala, he was awaiting a tour in Paris, where the director of the famous Olympia would offer him a contract for several years. However, the USSR Ministry of Culture was against it - Magomayev was indispensable at government concerts. At the age of 31, the singer became not only “People’s Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR”, but also “People’s Artist of the USSR”. The peak of Muslim Magomayev's musical career was in the 60s and 70s. The singer filled stadiums all over the USSR and was received with admiration by the world's largest concert and opera stages. On October 25, 2008, Muslim Magometovich passed away; he was buried in Baku on the Alley of Honor.

2. Rashid Behbudov

People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of State Prizes, Hero of Socialist Labor Rashid Behbudov had many awards, but the greatest title for him was the love of the people. He will forever remain in the memory of millions of people as a sunny singer from sunny Azerbaijan. Rashid Medzhidovich devoted his life to music, and his voice became a national treasure of Azerbaijan. He toured almost all countries of the world, and in each of them he always sang in the language of the people where he performed. He sang in seventy languages ​​of the world and equally masterfully performed pop hits and opera arias, introducing into them his own, Rashidovian style. His talent was limitless, and his fame went far beyond the borders of the USSR - he sang before Indira Gandhi, Mao Zedong and the Iranian Shah Mahomed Reza Pahlavi. The great tenor was awarded the highest Soviet award - the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, and in his younger years received the title of People's Artist of the Soviet Union. He died in 1989 in Moscow after an unsuccessful surgical operation, and was buried in the Alley of Honor in Baku.

3. Bulbul

For his rare musical gift, already in childhood he was given the nickname “Bulbul”, which translated from Azerbaijani means “nightingale”. Subsequently it became his stage name. The real name of the Soviet opera singer (lyric-dramatic tenor), musicologist-folklorist and teacher, People's Artist of the USSR was Murtuza Mamedov. He was born on June 22, 1897 in the village of Khanbagy, Elizavetpol province, which was part of the Russian Empire. Bulbul decided to get an education at the Moscow Conservatory, after graduating from which he went to the Italian La Scala. Returning to his homeland, the tenor performed at the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater and surprised the audience with his magnificent performances. By that time, a characteristic feature of his performance was the combination of Azerbaijani folk motifs with Italian classical traditions of operatic singing. He is called the founder of the Azerbaijani national musical theater; his services in the study and publication of folk music were also invaluable. He was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR, was a laureate of the Stalin Prize, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and the Badge of Honor, as well as the Italian Star of Garibaldi. In 1961, two months before the singer’s death, his concert took place in Shusha, Karabakh, which was attended by thousands of spectators. This was the last performance of the talented Azerbaijani performer.

4. Polad Bulbul ogly

Polad Bulbul ogly is the son of the famous Bulbul. It was his father who brought Polad onto the stage for the first time as an accompanist. He graduated from the Baku Conservatory with a degree in composition, and, having started writing songs at the age of 17, became a promoter of Azerbaijani culture, touring the USSR and many countries of the world. Polad Bul-Bul ogly is considered the founder of a new direction on the stage, combining national traditions in music with modern rhythms. His songs were performed by famous singers of the USSR - Joseph Kobzon, Lev Leshchenko and others. He also tried himself as an actor (“Tales of the Russian Forest”, “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you”, “Park of the Soviet period”, etc.), but music brought him great fame. The composer wrote symphonic works, musicals, music for films and plays. In 1969, he was admitted to the Union of Composers of the USSR and the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR. In 2000, the Bul-Bul oglu star was discovered on the “Star Square” in Moscow. For many years, Polad Bul-Bul oglu was the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, and since 2006 he was appointed Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia.

5. Ensemble "Gaya"

“Gaya” was a cult ensemble of the 60s in the Soviet Union, which performed not only Western songs, but also actively promoted Azerbaijani music. This “quartet” was somewhat similar to the English group “The Beatles”, however, for all this they had their own unique style. The vocal group received its first wide recognition during the First All-Union Competition for the best performance of a Soviet song in Moscow in 1966. Since then, the quartet consisting of Arif Gadzhiev, Rauf Babayev, Teymur Mirzoev and Lev Elisavetsky has traveled throughout the USSR. And wherever they were, they were successful and sold out, because they were the only quartet in the Union that performed jazz. The generation of the “sixties” probably remembers the popular program “Gaya” called “City Lights”. It was a project that was breathtaking with its names alone: ​​director Mark Rozovsky and Yuli Gusman, costume designer Slava Zaitsev, satirist Lion Izmailov. In fact, the quartet was lucky to collaborate with the best Soviet orchestras - Leonid Utesov, Oleg Lundstrem, Vadim Lyudvikovsky. With the collapse of the USSR, creative groups, including “Gaya,” also disbanded. The ensemble stopped touring and eventually disbanded.

6. Zeinab Khanlarova

At the end of last year, People's Artist of the USSR and Azerbaijan Zeinab Khanlarova celebrated her 80th birthday. This legendary singer occupies a special place in the history of Azerbaijani art, because it was thanks to her work that many national compositions became known throughout the world.

Laureate of the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR (1985), she was awarded the Honorary Prize "Golden Disc" of the All-Union Record Company "Melodiya" for recordings of Azerbaijani songs and songs of the peoples of the East. For many years she performed roles in opera productions, and was also a famous mugham performer. Thus, among Azerbaijani female khanende, she is the first performer of the “Chahargah” mugham. However, she achieved the greatest success in the pop genre and during her more than 50-year musical career, Zeinab Khanlarova visited about fifty countries of the world with concerts. A documentary film “Hello, Zeinab!” was shot about her. Zeinab Khanlarova is the winner of numerous awards. The last was the honorary Order of Heydar Aliyev, awarded to her by the President of Azerbaijan for special services in the development of the country’s culture.

7. Shovket Alekperova

Wherever this beautiful woman appeared, she attracted admiring glances. During her lifetime, Shovket Alekperova became a legend who was able to win the love of fans of her talent for the deep emotionality and lyricism inherent in her performing style. In 1937, she won a singing competition, where her talent was assessed by composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov and singer Bulbul. After her brilliant performance of the composition “Karabakh Shikestesi,” Hajibeyov accepted Alekperova into the newly created Azerbaijan State Choir, in which she began her professional career as a singer. During the Great Patriotic War, Alekperova went on tour to the front, singing patriotic songs and often performing up to fifty times a day. By the 1950s, she was recognized as the most popular performer of Azerbaijani folk and pop songs. During her creative career, Alekperova toured more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. When the legendary singer died in 1993, she was given a state funeral, broadcast live on television.

8. Lutfiyar Imanov

Soviet opera singer, People's Artist of the USSR Lutfiyar Imanov was a prominent representative of the Azerbaijani vocal school. Over many years of his creative life, he performed dozens of roles in the world tenor repertoire in the best theaters in the world. And the vocalist’s first serious works were parts in performances of the Azerbaijan Musical Comedy Theater. The main roles in the operettas “Arshin Mal Alan”, “Mashadi Ibad”, “Haji Gara”, “Ulduz” became a serious school for the young vocalist. In 1958, at the Decade of Azerbaijani Literature and Art in Moscow, he became the performer of the role of Koroglu in the opera of the same name and captivated everyone with his brilliant performance. Later, he had the fortunate opportunity to undergo an internship at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Milanese opera La Scala and, at the cost of enormous work, became a performer of the most complex roles in world opera. Moscow critic Florensky, after meeting with Imanov, noted: “Not all singers can move so easily and freely from one school to another. It is remarkable that Imanov intonates and pronounces texts in Azerbaijani, Russian and Italian with amazing clarity. In my opinion, he impeccably performed Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, conveying the very spirit of classical romance. The son of the Azerbaijani people, he deeply feels the nature of Russian musical culture.” The passing of the 79-year-old tenor in 2008 was a great loss for Azerbaijani culture.

9. Fidan and Khuraman Kasimov

Two sisters, two sopranos - they glorified Azerbaijan throughout the USSR. The duet of opera divas and People's Artists of the USSR Fidan and Khuraman Kasimov were awarded the highest awards and titles. Graduates of the Moscow Conservatory to this day are stars of the Azerbaijani and world stages, write music, give concerts, and always go on stage together. The year 1977 was marked by great success - Fidan received a gold medal at an international competition in Italy, her sister Khuraman became a laureate of the Transcaucasian and All-Union competitions for young vocalists. And in 1981, Khuraman also won the “Grand Prix” at the Maria Callas International Competition in Athens. The Kasimovs created a gallery of unforgettable images of world, Russian and Azerbaijani opera classics - Desdemona in Othello, Michaela in Carmen and Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, toured around the world, and performed more than once with the Moscow Virtuosi Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Today they have their own school, where they share the secrets of opera and conduct master classes.

10. Emin Babaev

Honored Artist of Russia, Azerbaijani singer Emin Babayev became famous in the 80s of the last century. He was born in Baku, where he graduated from the Hajibeyov Conservatory in violin, and in parallel with his studies, he worked as a soloist-vocalist at the Song Theater under the direction of Rashid Behbudov. Later, Babaev moved to Moscow, where he collaborated with the largest concert organization Mosconcert. Many probably remember his duet with singer Irina Malgina - one of the couple’s main hits was the song “City Flowers.” In 1993, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia. Today, the performer’s extensive repertoire includes songs of the peoples of the world, retro songs, and songs of modern composers, many of whom were written specifically for Babaev.

BAKU, April 28 - News-Azerbaijan, Ali Mamedov. AMI News-Azerbaijan offers the top 11 greatest Azerbaijanis of the 20th century:

1. Heydar Aliyev- Soviet and Azerbaijani state, party and political figure. President of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003. Twice Hero of Socialist Labor. Founder of modern Azerbaijani statehood.

2. Mammad Emin Rasulzade- An outstanding writer, political and public figure. Founder of the Azerbaijan Republic.

3. Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev- Azerbaijani millionaire and philanthropist, active state councilor. In some works of historians and biographers, he is mainly referred to as the "great benefactor". He has made donations to charities almost all over the world.

4. Rashid Behbudov- Soviet Azerbaijani pop and opera singer (lyric tenor), actor. Born in Tiflis (now Tbilisi, Georgia) in the family of a famous folk singer-khanende from Shusha. People's Artist of the USSR. Hero of Socialist Labor.

5. Lotfi Zadeh- Azerbaijani mathematician and logician, founder of the theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic, professor at the University of California (Berkeley). Born on February 4, 1921 in the village of Novkhany, Azerbaijan.

6. Muslim Magomaev- Soviet, Azerbaijani and Russian opera and pop singer (baritone), composer. People's Artist of the USSR and Azerbaijan. Born in Baku. Grandson of Abdul-Muslim Magomayev, an Azerbaijani composer who is one of the founders of Azerbaijani classical music, whose name is given to the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic.

7. Mustafa Topchibashev- Soviet surgeon, academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, vice-president of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR. Author of more than 160 scientific papers, which are still used by world surgery. He was awarded four Orders of Lenin during his lifetime.

8. Azi Aslanov- Soviet military leader, guard major general, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Streets, schools, and higher educational institutions are named in his honor in the CIS countries.

9. Kerim Kerimov- founders of the Soviet space program, who made a significant contribution to space exploration. For many years he was a central figure in Soviet cosmonautics. But despite his important role, his identity was kept secret from the public for most of his career. Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the Stalin, Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR.

10. Bulbul- folk and opera singer (tenor), one of the founders of the Azerbaijani national musical theater, People's Artist of the USSR.

11. Kara Karaev- composer and teacher, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the Stalin Prize, holder of the Order of Lenin, the October Revolution, and the Red Banner of Labor. One of the largest figures of Azerbaijani culture of the post-war period.

Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people numbering, according to various estimates, from 30 to 40 million people, of which only 8.2 million live in Azerbaijan and from 18 to 30 million in Iran. Significant communities of Azerbaijanis exist in Turkey (800 thousand people), Russia (600 thousand), USA, Georgia and other countries.
Anthropologically, the majority of Azerbaijanis belong to the Caspian type of the Caucasian race.
This rating presents the most beautiful, in my opinion, famous Azerbaijani women.

24th place: Azeri Gunel / Gunel Zeynalova(born October 25, 1985, Azerbaijan) - Turkish singer. Official website - http://www.gunel.tv/

23rd place: Najiba Melikova(October 25, 1921, Baku - July 27, 1992) - Soviet actress, People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR.

22nd place: Leyla Bedirbeyli/ Badirbekova (January 8, 1920, Baku - November 23, 1999) - Soviet actress, People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR.

Leyla Bedirbeyli in the film "Arshin mal-alan" (1945)

21st place: (born December 19, 1969, Baku) - jazz performer and composer. Currently lives permanently in Germany. Official website - azizamustafazadeh.de

20th place: (born 1982) - artist, niece of the first lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva.

18th place: (born October 14, 1938) - Empress of Iran, widow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, overthrown by the Islamic revolution in 1979. Farah Pahlavi is an Iranian Azerbaijani by nationality.

17th place: - Azerbaijani athlete. In 2007, she found herself at the center of a scandal: she was fired from the Neftchi club after participating in a photo shoot that appeared on the Azerisport website.

16th place: Leila Shikhlinskaya- Soviet actress, People's Artist of Azerbaijan. Founder and director of the first private multidisciplinary clinic in Azerbaijan, “Leyla Shikhlinskaya Clinic”.

Leila Shikhlinskaya in the film "Arshin Mal-Alan" (1965)

15th place: - fashion model from Novorossiysk.

14th place: (born April 25, 1989) - singer. Together with singer Arash, she represented Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, where she took third place.

13th place: Leyla Aliyeva(born July 3, 1986, Moscow) - editor-in-chief of the Baku magazine, eldest daughter of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva.

12th place: Hamida Omarova(born April 25, 1957, Baku) - actress, TV presenter, president of the Union of Cinematographers of Azerbaijan, People's Artist of Azerbaijan.

11th place: (born December 2, 1979, Baku) - singer, representative of Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.

10th place: Paniz Yousefzadeh/ Paniz Yousefzadeh - Canadian model, finalist of Miss Universe Canada 2010. Born in Tehran, at the age of 10 she moved with her family to Vancouver.

9th place: Bahareh Kian Afshar/ Bahareh Kian Afshar - Iranian actress. Judging by his surname, he belongs to the Afshars, which are considered a subethnic group of Azerbaijanis.

8th place: / Sarah Shahi (born January 10, 1980, Oles, USA) - American actress and fashion model. Father is Iranian Azerbaijani, mother is Spanish. Official website - sarahshahi.org

7th place: / Andreea Kerimli (Mantea) (born September 20, 1986, Bucharest) - Romanian fashion model of Azerbaijani origin. Height 167 cm.

6th place: Javidan Gurbanova(born November 1, 1990) - winner of the Miss Bahar 2014 and Miss Azerbaijan 2014 competitions. VKontakte page -

BAKU /Trend Life/ - Today, August 2, Azerbaijan celebrates National Cinema Day, Trend Life reports. National Cinema Day is a professional holiday for all cinema workers. In recent years, domestic filmmakers have made many interesting films in different genres, in which young talented actors played the main roles. Meanwhile, along with professional actors, young performers are also involved in filming, who, having conquered the musical Olympus, try their hand at cinema. Trend Life invites readers to familiarize themselves with the works of young domestic performers in cinema.

Natavan Habibi

In mid-April, the comedy film "Hozu" directed by Ilham Yasaroglu was released in domestic distribution. The main female role in the film project was played by the popular Azerbaijani singer Natavan Habibi.

According to the singer herself, initially, having received an offer to star in the film, she did not dare to agree, but after reading the script and meeting the creative team, she decided to take part in the filming.

Emil Badalov

In 2014, director Samir Kerimoglu made the film “Mən evə qayıdıram” (“I’m coming home”). The role of the hero Tarlan Seyidzade was played by the popular singer Emil Badalov.

“It was my childhood dream to play in the film, but I could not even dream that I would play along with such luminaries as Yashar Nuri and Fuad Poladov. I was chosen for the main role in the film based on the results of a casting of 25 actors. It became my debut in cinema and, of course, it was very difficult, but I think I coped with the role,” Emil Badalov noted earlier.

Oksana Rasulova and Elshad Jose

In September, the melodrama “Mələyin öpüşü” (“Kiss of an Angel”) will be released on domestic movie screens. The main roles are ex-spouses, dancer Oksana Rasulova and rapper Elshad Jose.

“Angel’s Kiss” is not Oksana Rasulova’s first experience - in 2016 the film “Şər qarışanda (“When Evil Interferes”) was presented, in which the dancer also played the main role. By the way, the film was produced by OKSI media production, the director of which is Rasulova.

Ilham Gasimov

A close friend of Oksana Rasulova, popular performer Ilhama Gasimov, was also involved in the film “When Evil Interferes.” When working, the singer was required to have composure, because the film tells about teenagers who were brutally killed by a maniac...

Gunay Ibrahimli

The singer played the main role in the film "Sadəcə sev" ("Just Love"), which premiered in April 2016. The performer's partner was the popular actor Jovdat Shukurov.

Sevda Yakhyaeva

Popular singer Sevda Yakhyaeva starred in the leading role of the series "Sən olmasaydın". The singer plays the role of a girl who has achieved success in her career, but is unhappy in her personal life. Yakhyaeva’s partner in the series is the famous actor Anar Geybatov, who probably revealed several professional secrets to the singer.

Miri Yusif

In 2015, the film “Yarımdünya” by Turkish director Osman Albayrak was released, one of the roles in which was played by the popular singer Miri Yusif. By the way, the title of the film is taken from Miri Yusif's song "Yarımdünya". It was this song that inspired Osman Albayrak to shoot the film.

“I wrote the song “Yarımdünya” after the death of my friend Vugar Abdulrahmanov, who passed away in September 2014, dedicating this song to him, so it occupies an important place in my work. It’s very difficult for me to talk about this now. I can barely hold back my tears. It was all incredible. When I was offered to star in the film, I simply couldn’t refuse,” Miri Yusif said earlier, sharing his impressions of the work. Let us note that Miri Yusif played himself in the film, that is, a romantic musician and singer.