Ukrainian actor, opera singer (tenor, later baritone), director. Husband of the actress Oleksandra, father of the actress Vira Varynykh.
Biography.
He was born on May 8, 1856 in the village of Kukovychi, Chernihiv province, in the family of a priest. He graduated from the Chernihiv Theological Seminary. He studied singing at the Kharkiv Music School (teacher: Professor K. O. Prokhorova-Maurerli).
He began his stage career in 1883 in the Kharkiv troupe of M. Kropyvnytskyi (the role of Petro in the opera "Natalka Poltavka" by M. Lysenko). In the same year he joined the troupe of M. P. Starytskyi. Later he performed in the troupe of P. Saksahansky (1893-1996) and D. Haydamaka (1897-1999).
During 1900-1907, he intermittently headed dramatic entreprises that toured Ukraine and Russia. He died in Kurovychi on March 2, 1910.
Creativity and repertoire
He had a beautiful strong voice with a wide range. At the beginning of his career, he sang tenor parts, later baritone.
First roles:
Levko (The Drowned by M. Lysenko, 1885);
Ilko (M. Lysenko's "The Black Sea Fleet", Kharkiv, 1883);
Ivan ("The Black Sea Fleet" by M. Lysenko, Odesa, 1884);
Sultan (The Cossack Beyond the Danube by S. Hulak-Artemovsky, Rostov-on-Don, 1884).
He performed Ukrainian folk songs.
He performed in dramatic performances. Best roles: Khoma, Yurko Dovbysh ("Oh, don't go, Hrytsia, to the party" by M. P. Staritsky), Oleksiy ("Matchmaking at Goncharivka" by G. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko), Mykyta, Andriy ("Give the heart freedom, it will lead to captivity" by M. L. Kropyvnytsky), etc.
