TWO IN ONE

The singer of Azerbaijan State Capella, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, winner and laureate of many prestigious international music festivals and competitions, young vocalist Ilham Nazarov has recently become the winner of the 4^th International Muslim Magomayev Competition in Moscow. It is an especially honorable award for him, for the great maestro is one of his idols, a legend of world size. Ilham has two voices - a bass baritone and countertenor, i.e. he perfectly sings in falsetto, a high male voice, which he continues to develop successfully.

He is the only countertenor in Azerbaijan with a voice that is highly valued in the West. And wherever the singer performed, his countertenor always produces a furor. It happened in Italy, where he studied, and so it was at the competitions "Voice of Turkey" and the Muslim Magomayev Competition. Our famous compatriot continues to improve and grows professionally every year.

We have managed to interview the talented Azerbaijani singer Ilham Nazarov. He was born in Shirvan but lives and works in Baku. He is 32 years old, and his son is two and a half. His son Said sings from morning till night and does not allow his dad to rehearse - how can two singers fit in one room? And the daddy has to rehearse with fragments in musical schools, where he works.

How did your vocal career start?

I have always been singing. In fact, everyone sang in our family as a khanende. My teachers advised me to show my talents in Baku to the teachers of the Bulbul School of music. That is how it started. I also sang mugham, but I wanted to become an opera singer. After graduating from the Baku Music Academy and getting my Master degree, I worked for a whole year in an army military band. Then, as a soloist of the Opera and Ballet Theater, in 2010 I played the role of a stranger in the premiere of the modern opera by Firangiz Alizadeh "Insizar" by the libretto of Nargiz Pashayeva. I think that this is the best and my favorite Azerbaijani opera for today and my real success. After that, representatives of the Ministry of Culture asked what they could to improve my talent. My dream was to study in Italy. After careful selection, I was enrolled in the prestigious Academy of Vocal Art, which is located in the picturesque Italian town of Osimo. It was very difficult to study because of the language: it was necessary to know perfectly Italian, where all the training was conducted. And to perform on auditions the most difficult arias in three languages ​​of the world. I have been engaged in music and singing for more than 20 years - 15 of them are performing on the professional stage, and the last 6 years I have participated in the cultural life of the world. In Italy, I had wonderful teachers: professor and art director of the Vincenza de Vivo Academy, Sergolini, who recognized my second voice and directed me to various festivals and contests, where I won prizes. As a result, they came to the conclusion that I sing brilliantly with a baritone, but there were a lot of them in nature, so we need to develop a countertenor. A second voice has matured in me for a long time, but I used it only in moments of sadness and loneliness, not showing anyone, and opened only at the conservatory in the master class of the French countertenor, who was delighted with my falsetto. I went on stage on my own initiative, without the consent of teachers. On my performance, the maestro finished the master class, saying that he had nothing more to do here.

What are your favorite opera arias and why?

I like the arias of dramatic characters with difficult fates, but with an unbending character. They are close to my spirit. This is the aria from Handel's Rinaldo, my favorite character is Quasimodo from Notre Dame de Paris. I like the character of Cio-Cio-San from Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, Sevil's aria before she drops her veil. I have already learned these arias, perhaps there will be a chance to perform them on big stage. Although concerts of classical music in Baku are often free, people are still attracted to the stage. And in the Vienna theater fans buy tickets for the year ahead at a price of 20 to 220 euros, and the performances are almost every day. 2010 was a good year for me: after all, I took part in 247 musical events. There were 3-4 performances a day. The Ministry of Culture always helps me, and for this, I am very grateful to them, including the director of the Philharmonic, People's Artist of Azerbaijan Murad Adigozalzade for permission to participate. But I would like to more often represent Azerbaijan at the international level, sing the other day culture in different countries of the world, because I'm the only countertenor in our country; I am open to new proposals and I am always ready to work for the benefit of the Motherland and I do it with pleasure.

Are you invited by theaters of the world?

I take part at concerts, but I do not have a thought of moving to work forever in Germany, Turkey, Russia, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, etc. I see my future in Azerbaijan, although working from morning till night in the Philharmonic, in music schools, I do not earn enough to drive a private car, to live in comfort, sometimes even to make an expensive medical checkup for my son. Since I do not sing at weddings and restaurants, there is a need for elementary means to get to the venue of a performance or competition, where I often win.

What is it for you to sing in two voices?

It means constantly to be reborn, to feel two different persons in one, even with your thoughts. Being different, reincarnate. It means that I need to rebuild myself constantly. It's very difficult and damaging to health. I live in two Ilhams.

Not all welcome, even professionals, the presence of two votes. How do you deal with it?

The tastes are different – one can love my countertenor, the other one not. I always had falsetto, but now it has intensively developed.

What did prompt you to participate in "The Voice of Turkey". After all, you are a classical opera singer?

That's why I'm known only in a certain circle of music lovers, and I would like the whole Azerbaijani people to learn about the existence of the vocalist Ilham Nazarov. After singing the famous Azeri song "Ayrilig" ("Departure") with a baritone and countertenor, I gained wide popularity - all jury members turned to me, but as mentors, I chose Ozoguz brothers. I think we will have a good creative union. After the performance, I received more than 200 letters from fans from Turkey, Russia, and Azerbaijan. One should be able to surprise and impress the sophisticated Turkish jury. Thanks to God, I can perform in a wide range of different genres. Therefore, I have a great repertoire, which includes jazz, pop music, mugham and sophisticated opera arias. The jury was delighted. Now the number of my subscribers in the social network is increasing, in addition, I constantly upload opera arias to the Internet, tell a large audience who I am, what I want to do, show my talent to the big public.

How was the 4^th International Muslim Magomayev Competition in Moscow, where you took part in October last year?

The jury, which included recognized masters from the world of classics, People's Artist of Azerbaijan Farhad Badalbeyli, Dmitry Bertman, who staged the opera "Intizar" with my participation in the Palace of Heydar Aliyev in Baku, was assessed on a ten-point system. More than 200 performers took part in the competition, and the auditions took three months and passed in Moscow. Nineteen people from twelve countries of the world were selected. The competition lasted two days and consisted of two stages.

How difficult was this competition?

At the Magomaev Competition, it was necessary to sing not only opera arias, but also pop songs, which is quite difficult. The ability to sing in two different voices delighted both the audience and the jury. I performed two arias, a romance as a countertenor and the song Azerbaijan with a baritone. I was the only one who sang this song, although there were many other people. In each round, I scored 67 points out of 70 possible. The third place was taken by the performer from Mongolia, the 2nd by Maharram Huseynov from Azerbaijan. I was ranked the first. The Grand Prix was won by the Russian Vasilisa Berzhanskaya. The competition was cruel, but despite this, there was a real unity of the two Azerbaijanis, and this helped us a lot - we supported each other, tuned in, calmed down. The final performances were dedicated to the memory of Muslim Magomayev, the first category – classical music, the second - variety music from the repertoire of the great singer.

Did the jury take into account the regalia and titles of the performer?

The jury was quite strict and the vocal data and the skill level of participants was important. I was congratulated and presented with a certificate, as well as a cash prize by members of the jury Vincenzo de Vivo and opera singer Franco Farina. And the best reward for us was the violent reaction of 7,000 spectators, who screamed Bravo! And gave bouquets of flowers, the ovation of the hall. Tamara Sinyavskaya said: "Azerbaijan was represented at the highest level at this competition". I always admired the talent of my eminent compatriot. My career began precisely thanks to Magomayev. After all, practically at all concerts, I performed Magomayev's best known Azerbaijan. In one year, I sang this song at 240 different concerts.

We wish you new victories at prestigious competitions and festivals.