Beibutov Rashid: biography, family and education, creative career, tragic fate

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The famous Soviet and Azerbaijani opera and pop singer Rashid Behbudov was called a cheerful boy from Karabakh. In 1959 he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR, and later - Hero of Socialist Labor. On the opera stage, he performed his parts with the voice of a tenor altino.

Early years

Rashid Behbudov was born in 1915. He was born in Tiflis on the territory of modern Georgia. His father's name was Majid Behbudov, he was a famous khanende singer, that is, he performed Azerbaijani folk songs, represented the Karabakh school of mugham (one of the main Azerbaijani genres of music). The mother of the hero of our article was Firuza Abbas Kuli kyzy Vekilova, she taught Russian in Azerbaijani schools in Tbilisi.

In 1933, Rashid Behbudov entered the railway college. There he soon became the founder of an amateur student orchestra. After that, he served in the ranks of the Red Army, where he was also engaged in creativity. In particular, he was the soloist of the armyensemble.

At the beginning of a creative career

After returning to "citizenship", Rashid Behbudov performs for some time in one of the variety groups of Georgia. In 1934 he left for Yerevan, where he became a soloist of the local philharmonic society.

From 1938 to 1944, the hero of our article performs with the State Jazz Orchestra of Armenia, led by cellist and conductor Artemy Sergeevich Ayvazyan. They tour all over the country. In parallel, Behbudov begins performing at the Armenian Opera and Ballet Theater named after Spendiarov.

During the Great Patriotic War, the songs of Rashid Behbudov were heard on the Crimean front.

Debut on the big screen

In 1943, the shooting of the musical comedy "Arishin mal alan" by Nikolai Leshchenko and Rza Tahmasib began at the Baku film studio. This is a story about an oriental groom who suffered because he could not see the face of his beloved before the wedding. So he persuaded his friend to dress up as a street draper. Such merchants had the right to enter houses, selling their goods, girls and women, examining fabrics, did not cover their faces.

This film began the creative biography of Rashid Behbudov in Soviet cinema. He immediately got the main role of the rich Asker. And he got into the movie absolutely by accident. One of the creators of the picture noticed him in the house of officers in Baku. Beibutov was just performing Asker's aria, after which he was invited to join the film crew.

The picture was released in 1945, hadgreat success in the USSR and abroad.

On stage

At the same time, singer Rashid Behbudov became a soloist of the Azerbaijan Philharmonic. On this stage, he sings until 1956, then until 1960 he performs at the Opera and Ballet Theater named after Akhundov in Azerbaijan. In particular, there he gets the main roles in the same musical comedy by Gadzhibekov "Arshin Mal Alan", Amirov's opera "Sevil".

In 1957, a concert ensemble was created on the basis of the Azerbaijani Philharmonic, which combines classical Azerbaijani folk instruments and jazz style. From 1957 to 1959, Beibutov headed it as an artistic director.

In 1966, the hero of our article organized the Azerbaijan Song Theater, which still exists today, bears his name. Beibutov remained the soloist and artistic director of this theater until the very last days.

Popular throughout the Union

The popularity of the singer came in the 30s and 40s, when the fashion for soft and high male voices appeared in the Soviet Union. At first, they began to recognize him in the republics of the Transcaucasus and the Caucasus, and then throughout the country.

Beibutov had a high tenor with a warm and gentle timbre of a wide range. He combined singing breath and European staging with a free guttural manner of singing, which was typical for mugham.

At the same time, Beibutov was fluent in Russian, which allowed him to speak without a Caucasian accent. You could immediately recognize his mannerperformance, which was characteristic of the culture of Turkey and the Caucasus, a little feigned and sentimental, at the same time optimistic and very joyful. Among immigrants from the Caucasus, only Muslim Magomayev could compare with Beibutov in popularity.

Tours

Since the beginning of the 50s, the singer has been on tour around the world. For several years he visited Hungary, Bulgaria, China, Italy, India, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Poland, Finland, many countries in Latin America, everywhere he was a great success.

Besides, Beibutov often successfully toured throughout the Soviet Union. He regularly included in his repertoire songs in the languages of the peoples of those countries in which he performed at that time.

Acquaintances of Beibutov told about a case when in one village in India, local residents blocked train traffic, not wanting to let Soviet artists go until Beibutov performed in front of them.

Many appreciate his contribution to the development of the national musical comedy and opera. He had a winning stage appearance, charm, great artistic talent, the ability to feel and understand any national music. All this brought great success to Beibutov, which accompanied him throughout his creative career.

Repertoire

The singer's repertoire was varied. At the same time, Azerbaijani folk songs and works by Azerbaijani composers still occupied a key place in it. Among them are the compositions "Oilman's Song", "Caucasiandrinking", "Baku". It should be noted that, in addition to the songs of the peoples of the Caucasus, Beibutov performed many classical Russian folk songs, romances of the 19th century, as well as works by contemporary Soviet composers.

As a rule, he chose a special repertoire for himself, affecting the feelings of the listeners. These were the songs "Favorite Eyes" by Rashid Behbudov, "Moscow Evenings" by Solovyov-Sedoy to the music of Matusovsky, "I Love You, Life" by Kolmanovsky to the verses of Vanshenkin.

With this repertoire, he was enthusiastically received everywhere. "Favorite eyes" by Rashid Behbudov remained his main hit for a long time.

Film shooting

At the same time, the hero of our article constantly starred in feature films. After the success of the tape "Arshin Mal Alan", he was remembered by many for the comedy of Latif Safarov "Bakhtiyar", where he played the main role of the drilling master Muradov, the film-concert of Eldar Kuliev "Rhythms of Absheron", the adventure musical Oktay Mir-Kasimov "The Thousand and First Tour".

Also in many films there are songs performed by him. One of the most famous such paintings is Rafail Perelstein's melodrama "I Met a Girl". Rashid Behbudov is the performer of the composition of the same name by the Tajik poet Mirzo Tursunzade, which remains popular to this day.

According to the plot, this is the story of the girl Lola, performed by Rosa Akobirova, who attracts many men in her hometown. Almost everyone is in love with her, from singers from the local choiramateur performances who want to get her into their ranks, ending with an ordinary hard worker who spends a lot of time at her house. The girl's father, wanting to protect her from any attacks, sends his daughter to the village, not suspecting that Said, who is in love with her, will even be able to find her there.

Another feature of the tape was that it was the first color picture at the Tajikfilm studio, it was released in 1957. Many people still remember the voice of Rashid Behbudov from this film. "I met a girl" in his performance is still the most famous version of this work.

Among other films in which he sang, one can note "The Tale of the Oilmen of the Caspian Sea", "The Cunning of Old Ashir", "Romeo, My Neighbor".

In 2008, director Veit Helmer used Beibutov's vocals in his comedy "Absurdistan", which was filmed in Germany. This is a story about a small settlement, numbering only 14 families, whose biggest problem is interruptions in water supply. Women are convinced that men cannot do anything just because they are lazy.

The main characters of the picture Aya and Temelko are in love with each other. Before the young man manages to win the hand of the girl, he will have to help the village solve problems with water. This amazing story looks especially romantic to the songs of Beibutov.

Public and private life

For more than twenty years, Beibutov remained a deputy of the Supreme Council. HeHe held this position for five convocations in a row - from 1966 to 1989. Each time he was elected from the Nakhichevan ASSR.

He was married to Jeyran Khanum, who in 1965 gave birth to his daughter. Her name is Rashida Behbudova, she continued her father's work, became a singer, and now has the title of Honored Artist of Azerbaijan. The wife of the hero of our article died recently - in May 2017.

Beibutov himself died as a result of an unsuccessful surgical operation in the summer of 1989. He was 73 years old, he was buried in Baku. The singer's grave is located on the Alley of Honor.

Memory

In Azerbaijan today they keep the memory of the singer who glorified national music throughout the country. One of the central streets of Baku bears Behbudov's name, and the State Song Theater named after him and music school No. 2 are located on it.

In 2010, the Azerbaijani group FLASHMOB Azerbaijan organized an original flash mob in honor of the 95th anniversary of the popular singer. Representatives of national music celebrated the anniversary of the bright and extraordinary by arranging a mass performance of his most famous songs. In the center of Baku, flashmob participants gathered to his song "Azerbaijan", and then performed excerpts from his hits "I met a girl", "Baku", "Four friends", "Dear friend".

To perform these compositions, young people spontaneously gathered in front of the Beibutov Song Theater, then near the monument to Nasimi, in front of the undergroundtransition, and at the end - in the shopping center "Park Boulevard".

In 2016, a monument to Beibutov was erected in front of the building of the State Theater, which bears his name. The author was the sculptor Fuad Salaev.