Haydar Bigichev was a Tatar opera singer (dramatic tenor), a native of the Nizhny Novgorod area who spent twenty years serving at the Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater in Kazan. He was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Tatar ASSR (1980) and Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1986).[1]
Career
Bigichev continued and raised to a new level the tradition of performing Tatar folk and composed songs established by Rashit Vagapov and Ilham Shakirov. His repertoire included works by the greatest Tatar composers: Saidashev, Zhiganov, Muzafarov, and Yakhin.[1] The singer possessed a dramatic tenor of rare beauty and richness.[2]
Connection to the Nizhny Novgorod Area
Bigichev came from the Tatar part of the Nizhny Novgorod area: he and Rashit Vagapov both originate from the same district, whose center is the selo (a larger village) of Urazovka in Krasnooktyabrsky District.[2] In memory of the two singers, a joint monument was unveiled in Urazovka: a bronze composition of two busts on separate pedestals joined by a stylobate, with two steles bearing biographical information.[2] The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region. A bust of the writer Kavi Najmi was later installed nearby, and the alley in Urazovka's central square came to unite sculpted portraits of three outstanding figures of the Tatar people whose lives were connected with Nizhny Novgorod Region.[2]
The Interregional Festival-Competition of Tatar Folk Art "Milli köy," held in Nizhny Novgorod Region, is named in honor of Bigichev together with Rashit Vagapov.[1]
Sources
- Vremya N — Tatar Folk Art Festival to Be Held in Nizhny Novgorod Region
- business-gazeta.ru — "Vagapov and Bigichev are both from the same district, whose center is Urazovka..."