Spokesman Report
Nur-Sultan: Kazakhstan is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Roza Baglanova, a world-famous singer and People’s Artist of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Several events have been scheduled in 2022 in Kazakhstan and abroad, as part of the celebration of her 100th anniversary, in order to conserve the memory of the eminent Kazakh singer.
January 1, 2022, marked the 100th birthday anniversary of Roza Baglanova. The life and ingenuity of Roza Baglanova is an illustration of devotion to the stage, selfless kindness to the people, and infinite respect for the audience.
The singer commenced her career at the State Women’s Song and Dance Ensemble of the Uzbek Philharmonic Society. Later she went to the Moscow Conservatory. However, after the Second World War broke out, she partook in the war along with the ensemble.
She performed for the soldiers of the Red Army at the front as part of the brigade. She sang at railway stations, in the dugouts, on tanks and even on the wings of aircrafts.
Roza Baglanova, during the Second World War, not only boosted the fighting spirit of the soldiers with her creativity, but also demonstrated to be a hero, assisting to carry the soldiers away from the battleground.
Baglanova took part in the Victory concert in Berlin on May 9, 1945. The singer was awarded with many military awards, for her contribution as a soldier. Among which she specifically valued two medals, presented by Marshals Konstantin Rokossovsky and Ivan Konev.
Her most famous song was “Oh, Samara-town” from the repertoire of Lydia Ruslanova. Roza Baglanova became the first Kazakh singer to gain nation-wide honor in the USSR after returning to the stage following the war.
Her famous works include world opera, folk songs of different countries as well as songs of modern composers. She is considered as a national symbol of the whole epoch.
She performed on stage with Igor Ilyinsky, Galina Ulanova, Arkady Raikin, Sviatoslav Richter, Alexander Vertinsky, Maya Plisetskaya, and Daniil Shafran.
Likewise, she was performed in Austria, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, China, Czechoslovakia, Korea, India, Burma, Sweden, Canada, Belgium and other countries.
During her tenure, she also met with many well-known people like Kim Il-sung, Mao Tse – Tung, Stalin, Choibalsan, Indira Gandhi, Nehru, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and the heads of many states.
During her stay as part of a government delegation, in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, she toured the Republic for 10 days and Kim Il-sung specially allocated his plane to Roza Baglanova.
The singer attended a reception hosted at Jawaharlal Nehru’s house in India. Ehilst there, she also met with Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. She also starred in the Soviet-Hungarian documentary film “The Youth of the World” in 1949.
The presentation of the documentary film “Ah-Samara town” took place in the city of Almaty, in 2006. Moreoevr, television channel “Khabar” broadcasted a biopic “Bulbul” about the life and work of the singer, in 2021.
“Aynalayyn khalkymnan yerkeletken” (I am grateful to my people for coddling me) an autobiographical book of Roza Baglanova was published in 2007. Many books and paintings have also been published about Roza Baglanova.
Furthermore, her name is included in the Anglo-American encyclopedia “Who is who” as well, on par with Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret Thatcher, among others. “Kazakhfilm” film studio shot a documentary about the singer with the title “Our Rose”.
Roza Baglanova was conferred with numerous titles and awards for the promotion of Kazakh art. What’s more, the Calendar of memorable dates for 2022-2023 was accepted, by the resolution of the 41st general conference of UNESCO, on November 23, 2021.
Also, the 100th anniversary of the singer was included in it, by the recommendation of Kazakhstan with the support of Russia and Uzbekistan.