Murad Divanayev - a living legend
Murad Divanayev is an opera singer, the ancestor of the Turkmen pop music and simply the most famous creative person possessing all kinds of talents. According to the singer himself, his arsenal holds five main types of art in which he feels completely free: vocals, directing, painting and even the skill of a ceramist.
But one of Murad’s most favorite passions is still poetry. He writes poetry at the call of the heart, identifying each composition with a special state of mind. On the eve of the maestro’s birthday, we were able to talk a little with him and learn firsthand about the establishment of Mr. Divanayev’s creative path, and that although talent is a one-piece “commodity”, nothing is impossible in life.
“The childhood was rather complicated,” says Murad Divanayev. - At an early age, I remained an orphan, brought up with my older brother. He loved reading books, and therefore always dreamed of becoming a journalist. But my brother insisted on my admission to an agricultural university and I obediently began to study as an agronomist. At the same time, I was drawn to creativity, attended a small choral studio at the Ashgabat Opera and Ballet Theater.
Soon, this small opera studio will be the “door” for Murad Divanayev to the big world of music. Paying attention to the extraordinary, low timbre of the young man’s voice, the teacher Boris Orlenin was assigned to him in the music studio, and began to prepare him for admission to the Moscow Conservatory.
It is worth mentioning that Divanaev - a man of infinitely open and gratefulcharacter -npainted a black and white portrait of his first teacher, Boris Nikolayevich, which today shows off on the wall in the singer’s apartment. Murad lives in a museum-apartment amid memoirs, photographs from memorable meetings, art portraits, sketches, surrounded by famous names of the cultural life of Turkmenistan. The walls of his rooms are decorated with portraits of Danatar Ovezov, Murad Sadykov, Islam Babayev and many others, to whom he dedicated poetry, and who in turn who sincerely admired him.
“In 1957, I entered the Moscow Conservatory, studied there for two years and realized that the capital of Russia does not suit me in the climate at all,” continues Murad Divanaev. - In Moscow, I was constantly sick, caught a cold and decided to transfer to Baku. Still, the climate of Azerbaijan is close to me, an oriental person, and already there I met many famous pop stars. I even managed to sing in a duet with Muslim Magomayev. After studying, he returned to Ashgabat, worked in the opera and ballet theater, while managing to practice in the Saratov theater. It was a big school for me, in Saratov I learned the Italian technique of opera singing. My hands lay on the ribs of opera singers, so I learned the special breathing technique of the masters of the big stage.
The opera singer brought the breath of Belcanto to his homeland and began to teach his students the special technique of Italian singing. Murad Divanayev has over 100 of them, they are scattered all over the world, but they don’t forget the teacher, write to him, call, send greetings through friends. They come to the master even today, and even then, until late at night, the sounds of the German piano and six-string guitar do not subside at his house.
He writes music, translates the classics of Turkmen literature, his favorite poets are Magtymguly and Garajaoglan. To the verses of these lyrics, the musician wrote his best melodic compositions and published a book with musical arrangement of poetic lines. The poet, composer, artist Murad Divanaev studied everything that deeply touched and interested his soul. And it is safe to say that in every creative incarnation he achieved success.
- After an art exhibition in honor of my 75th birthday, I was admitted to the Union of Artists of Turkmenistan. Next year I will turn 85, - Murad Divanaev smiles. - I’m thinking about opening my new exhibition and I plan to do a lot more in the next twenty years, but we'll see. “I give you the age of Seljuk!” – I was once told in a dream, and given that Seljuk lived 106 years, I still have a long life ahead.
Selbi CHARYYEVA
