28 January, 2020
Samandar Rzayev - 75th anniversary
On January 28, 2020, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Union of Theater Workers of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theater and the State Theater Museum held a memorial evening dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the outstanding actor, honored artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan, State Prize laureate Samandar Rzayev.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the Union of Theater Workers, the Theater Museum, artists, intellectuals, the media and family members of the artist. The participants of the event got acquainted with the exhibition dedicated to the life and creations of Samandar Rzayev in the lobby of the theater and remembered the actor’s memory.
The host of the event was a national artist, State Prize laureate Haji Ismayilov. He welcomed the participants and spoke about the creative path of Samandar Rzayev. He noted that “... on January 2, 1945, a talented actor of the Azerbaijani theater and cinema, honored artist, laureate of the State Prize Samandar Rzayev was born in Agsu. In 1964-1968 he studied on the Faculty of Drama and Cinema of the Azerbaijan State Theater Institute named after Mirzaga Aliyev. His teachers were such masters as Rza Tahmasib, Mehdi Mammadov and Adil Isgandarov. In 1968, he was accepted to the troupe of the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theater at the invitation of the famous director Tofig Kazimov. His first role was Horace in the tragedy of Hamlet. Later, the actor acted as Fazil Kulli in the “Assembly of the Insane”, Vagif in “Vagif”, Hatamkhan Agha in “Monsieur Jordan and Dervish Mastali Shah” and Ghanimet in “Destroyed Diaries”. Samandar Rzayev, being a talented person with a rich inner world, also participated in many tv-plays: “Divide the houses in half”, “When the roads cross”, “Eastern Morning”, “Burning hearths” and others ... ”
Then the word was passed to Azer Pasha Nematov, chairman of the Union of Theater Workers of Azerbaijan, artistic director of the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theater, people's artist, professor. Azer Pasha Nematov spoke about how he knew Samandar Rzayev since his student years and many of his positive qualities.
Aydin Kazimzade, honored art worker, spoke in detail about the activities of Samandar Rzayev in the cinema field. He said that: “... Part of the work of Samandar Rzayev was cinematic activity. He played in many films produced by Azerbaijanfilm studio, such as: “Nasimi”, “Babek”, “Birthday”, “Abduction of the groom”, “Garden season” and many others. The actor, who played many unforgettable characters in feature films, became a beloved actor of the entire nation ... ".
People’s artist Saida Guliyeva talked about the Bulag radio-programme, which Samandar Rzayev had been the host of for many years.
Participants were presented with photo and video materials about the life and creations of Samandar Rzayev.
The daughter of Samandar Rzayev Rubabe Samandar expressed gratitude to the organizers and participants of the event.
At the end of the event, the audience was presented with the performance of “Assembly of the Insane”, in which Samandar Rzayev played the role of Fazil Kully, performed by the actors of the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theater.