Ulduz Saleh gizi Rafili-Aliyeva (15 December 1922,

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, Goranboy region – 2006, Baku) was an Azerbaijani and Soviet theater director, professor, Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR (1964). She was the first Azerbaijani women to become a professional theater director.

Early life and education

Ulduz Rafili was born on 15 December 1922 in Ganja. Her father died before she was born and her mother married for the second time. When her mother died in 1935 Rafili started living with her older sister in Moscow. In 1938, she graduated from Industrial College in Moscow. Later she continued studies in Moscow. Rafili entered the Institute of Railway Engineers where she studied and worked as a station attendant in the Moscow metro and as a machinist on an electric train. Rafili returned to Baku in 1945. There she entered the faculty of directing of the present University of Culture and Arts, graduating in 1951.

Career

In 1952, Rafili started working as a director in the

Young Spectator's Theatre Young Spectator's Theatre (Театр Юного Зрителя, ТЮЗ) was a standard name of a theatre for children and youth in many cities of the Soviet Union, usually referred to by this abbreviation: тюз, TYuZ (sometimes translated as "T ...

in Baku. During next 20 years she directed over 50 performances on the stage of the theater. Rafili became the first female theater director in Azerbaijan. Many performances staged by Rafili have won All-Union festivals and been awarded diplomas and prizes. In 1963-1967, Rafili was elected a deputy, engaged in active socio-political activities. In 1972-1975 Rafili worked as the chief director of the Young Spectator's Theater. In September 1975, Rafili started her pedagogical career at the Department of Opera Training of the Baku Music Academy. During her work at the Music Academy, she directed S. Rakhmaninoff's "

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", P. Tchaikovsky's "

Iolanta ''Iolanta'', Op. 69, (russian: Иоланта, links=no ) is a lyric opera in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. It was the last opera he composed. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, and is based on the Danish play ...

", F. Amirov's "

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Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

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The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

" and others. Ulduz Rafili died in 2006 in Baku.

Personal life

Rafili was married to Gurban Aliyev who worked in the Ministry of Education of the Azerbaijan SSR. They had one son, Hasan Aliyev.

Awards and honors

In 1964, Rafili was awarded a title of Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR. In 2012, a memorial evening dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Rafili was held at the Young Spectator's Theatre in Baku.

Works

* ''Second Family'' (1954) * ''Separated roads'' (1957) * ''Crane train'' (1958) * ''

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* ''Song of hope'' (1959) * ''Courage'' (1963) * ''Shirinbala collects honey'' (1965) by Salam Gadirzade * ''Rooster'' (1965) * ''Rabbit's birthday'' (1966) by Khanymana Alibeyli * ''

The servant of two masters ''The Servant of Two Masters'' ( it, Il servitore di due padroni, links=no) is a comedy by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni written in 1746. Goldoni originally wrote the play at the request of actor Antonio Sacco, one of the great Harlequins ...

'' (1968) by

Carlo Goldoni Carlo is a given name. It is an Italian form of Charles. It can refer to: *Carlo (name) *Monte Carlo *Carlingford, New South Wales, a suburb in north-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia *A satirical song written by Dafydd Iwan about Prince Char ...

* ''Last night of last year'' (1968) by

Anar Rzayev Anar Rasul oghlu Rzayev ( az, Anar Rəsul oğlu Rzayev), known as Anar (born 14 March 1938, Baku), is Azerbaijani writer, dramatist, film director, and the Chairman of the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan. Anar is primarily a novelist and short-sto ...

* ''Gypsy girl'' (1971) by S.Sani Akhundov * ''Ayjan'' (1973) by Khanymana Alibeyli

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rafili-Aliyeva, Ulduz 1922 births 2006 deaths Women theatre directors Azerbaijani theatre directors Soviet theatre directors Honored Art Workers of the Azerbaijan SSR