Azerbaijan's eminent tenor turns 105

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

A natural-born singer with a voice that can only be described as a gift from the Heavens, Rashid Behbudov remains an incredible and rare talent. His voice pierces through the heart to unlock emotions and sentiments of intense power, and yet this artist shows acute vulnerability.

A memorial evening was held at the Azerbaijan State Song Theater to mark the singer`s 105th anniversary.

Among the guests were prominent public figures and businessmen, representatives of culture and science.

The director of the Rashid Behbutov Foundation, Kamil Shakhverdiyev, spoke about the life and work of the outstanding  singer who promoted national music all over the world. His name is forever written in golden letters in the history of Azerbaijani culture.

The great singer toured  extensively, delivering concerts in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, India, China, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Finland, Poland and Latin America. He always started and ended his concerts with the song “Azerbaijan”. 

He was already known as a soloist of variety orchestras, but the fame that came after the film ‘The Cloth Peddler’ changed his whole life.

The brilliant voice gained wide acclaim due to his lead role in the musical comedy ‘Arshin Mal Alan’ ( The Cloth Peddler), filmed based on the operetta by Uzeyir Hajibeyli.  A touching love story could not leave the viewer indifferent. 

Chairman of the Board of VTB Bank (Azerbaijan) Yevgeny Kirin noted that over 10 years of its activity in Azerbaijan, the bank has carried out a number of socially significant social projects also aimed at promoting the country's culture.

The guests were then presented with a calendar with significant events linked with the works of Rashid Behbutov.

Folk artists Gulyanag Mammadova, Salman Gambarov, Honored Artists Aygun  Zeynalova, Fakhri Kyazim-Nijat, Aynur Iskandarova and other artists performed songs from the repertoire of Rashid Behbutov.