Ukrainian singer (bass). Soloist of the Odesa Opera Theater. He had a deep even voice with a soft timbre and a wide range and comedic talent.
Since 1937 - People's Artist of the RSFSR.
Biography
He was born in the family of a worker, since 1893 the family lived in Odessa.
He studied singing at the expense of the patron Ralli, in 1910 he graduated from the Odesa Music School - the class of Maximilian Polli. During his studies, he sang small parts on the stage of the Odessa Opera.
Since 1911, he has been a soloist of the Odesa Theater, in 1912-1913 alternately in the Kiev and Odesa enterprises of M.F. Bagrov, from 1913 in the Russian Kyiv Opera until 1923.
1919 participated in the productions of the Ukrainian National Theater of Panas Saksaganskyi:
Kateryna's father - "Kateryna" by T. G. Shevchenko,
Karas - "Zaporozhets by the Danube" by Hulak-Artemovsky.
During this time, he toured with the theater in Astrakhan, Yekaterinburg, Kuibyshev, Odesa, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov, and Yaroslavl.
From 1923 to 1951, he was a soloist at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow (Russia), and performed there periodically until 1961. The last performance took place on November 29, 1962 — Varlam's party. His repertoire included about 60 parts.
Among the parts performed by him:
Ramfis - "Aida" by Verdi,
Krasnoperov - "From the whole heart" by E. Maltsev,
Marseille - "Huguenots" by D. Meyerbeer,
Gudal, Pymen - "Demon" by A. Rubinstein,
Susanin - "Life for the Tsar" by M. Hlinka,
Raevsky - "The Decembrists" by V. Zolotaryov, Bolshoi Theater, first performer,
Nilakanta - "Lakme" by Leo Deliba,
Borys Timofiyovych - "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensky District", by D. Shostakovich, Bolshoi Theater, first performer,
Gusev - "Mother",
Vyborny, Makogonenko — "Natalka Poltavka" by M. Lysenko,
Doctor Smirnov - "Panzernik Potemkin" by O. Chishka,
Sparafucile - "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi,
Melnyk - "Mermaid" by O. Dargomyzhsky,
Don Basilio - "The Barber of Seville" by Gioachino Rossini,
Head — "May Night" by M. Rimsky-Korsakov,
Mephistopheles - "Faust" by Charles Gounod,
Ivan Khovansky - "Khovanshchyna" by M. Mussorgsky,
Konchak - "Prince Igor" by O. Borodin.
He performed with Valeria Barsova, Ksenia Derzhynska, Maria Lytvynenko-Wolgemuth, Maria Maksakova, Antonina Nezhdanova, Nadia Obukhova, Volodymyr Politkovsky, Nikandr Khanaev, Natalia Shpiller.
He performed under the guidance of Mykola Golovanov, Mykhailo Ippolitov-Ivanov, Kirill Kondrashin, Albert Coates, Oleksandr Melik-Pashaev, Vasyl Nebolsin, Ary Pazovsky, Josef Pribik, Samuel Samosud, Vaclav Suk, Lev Shteinberg.
He also performed the romances of Mykola Lysenko, Kyril Stetsenko, Yakov Stepovoy.
Twice knight of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR in 1951 — for the performance of Khovansky's party.
