In the middle of September in the centre of Moscow the ceremony of unveiling of the statue of the singer and composer, Muslim Magomayev, took place. More than 2 000 people participated in the ceremony.
“Monuments are erected to those who should be remembered by either their contemporaries or descendants. And Magomayev deserves this statue. Three years have passed since his death. And it is clear that Magomayev is not only a unique phenomenon, he is a peak reached by popular music of the Soviet Union,” Svyatoslav Belza, Peoples Artist of Russia, honored art activist of Russia, said.
“The statue of a man, musician, singer, who was called a mega-star of Soviet popular music. Muslim Magomedovich said that Azerbaijan was his father and Russia was his mother. Almost three years ago he left us, and he is buried in Azerbaijan. There is a wonderful statue of him there. Today, where his motherland is, near his house, where he lived, this monument has appeared. We remember him one more time, this outstanding person, a singer who had no rivals. I think today we can give him his due and the sincere memory of peoples towards this remarkable person. Today we speak about friendship, friendship with the Azerbaijani people, about aspects that connect us in the sphere of culture and personal relations,” the deputy mayor of Moscow, Ludmila Shvetsova, stated.
People's Artist of Russia, Yevgeny Gerasimov, expressed his gratitude to the authors of the statue: “After the statue in his fatherland, in Azerbaijan, - a remarkable statue, for those who haven’t seen, it is a unique work by an outstanding artist. I was very nervous: what about our monument? But it is perfect, the wonderful Muslim is immortalised in a fleeting moment. And I want all of you to applaud the authors, Rukovishnikov and his colleague, for their outstanding work. I see the face of the living Muslim. The Moscow City Duma, my colleagues Vladimir Platonov and Alexei Ryabinin, who is here, express their gratitude to all those who participated in the creation of this personable statue. A person, who once has heard any of Magomayev’s songs, will never forget him.”
The minister of culture and tourism of Azerbaijan, Abdulfas Karayev, thanked the government of Moscow for “having a statue of a representative of Azerbaijani culture in Moscow. But Muslim Magomayev is not only a representative of Azerbaijani culture. This man was a symbol of dialogue between cultures. If we look at the songs of Magomayev, we will remember characters of Italian operas – Figaro and Rigoletto. Characters of classic Azerbaijani operas – Shah Husein and Han Aslan. The outstanding melody of his music, created in such a wonderful style, which is similar to the style of his pictures. He was a remarkable artist, who managed to show his love of life. Today Muslim Magomayev is not among us. But believe me, in every house of Azerbaijan his songs can be heard. His voice continues to please us and give warmth to those who love music, the love story presented in his songs, Russian romances, classic operas and musical works by Muslim Magomayev.”
In the end of the ceremony widow of Magomayev, Tamara Sinyavskaya, said tender words: “We were born and met in one country, which was called the Soviet Union. We met and fell in love in this country. Then you all know what happened. Muslim appeared to be above all of this. He rose to the sky and watches us from there. From this point, Baku and Moscow are situated near each other. That is why now he is there and here simultaneously. The sun starts shining. Yes. I’m very happy, because Muslim lives in people's hearts. They remember him, listen to his songs and love him. He proved this by his death one more time. He left for the blue infinity, about which he wrote in one of his songs.”
VK
