Great Singers at the Mariinsky Theatre

Note by Boris Semeonoff











Although the Mariinsky Theatre opened in its present building only in 1860, its name and identity are associated with much earlier events. In 1981 the firm Melodiya launched a series of recordings to mark the Bicentenary, in 1983, of the Kirov Theatre of Opera and Ballet, the name by which the Mariinsky was known during the Soviet period. The year 1783 saw the first presentation of opera, ballet and drama in a theatre specially built for that purpose in St. Petersburg, then, and till the Revolution, the Russian capital. Still earlier, in 1766, Catherine the Great had set up a Directorate of the Imperial Theatres, an institution which, under varying forms of administration, exercised a virtual monopoly over all forms of public stage performance until 1882, when that monopoly was formally rescinded. The previous decade had seen the emergence of largely amateur enterprises whose productions were tolerated if presented as 'family evenings' or some similar title. These later developed into the 'Private Operas', such as that of Sergei Zimin, which ultimately became established as a variable alternative to the Imperial Theatres, the prestige of which, however, continued undiminished.

In the sphere of opera (and ballet) the leading Imperial Theatres were the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg and the Bolshoi in Moscow. Since both were for most practical purposes under the jurisdiction of the same administrative body, there was scope for a considerable amount of movement of movement between the houses. A singer would normally be engaged for one or other of the theatres, but might subsequently be allowed to transfer or be offered a short-term contract at the other place. Most of the leading singers, including those on this disc, sang at both theatres, so that the term 'Mariinsky (or 'Bolshoi') singer' becomes relatively meaningless. This is borne out by the fact that in the Gramophone Company's publicity material a singer is noted, when appropriate, simply as 'Artist of the Imperial Theatres'. Naturally enough, however, some singers did appear more regularly at a given theatre; frequent reference to this point is made in what follows. In this connection special significance attaches to the name of Edyard Napravnik (1839-1916). Although a Czech by birth, Napravnik is always referred to as a Russian composer, conductor and opera administrator. He was appointed principal conductor at the Mariinsky in 1869 and held that post until his death nearly half a century later. His period of tenure can be said to coincide with the golden age not only of the Mariinsky but also of Russian opera as a whole. Although he was not on good terms personally with the members of the Nationalist School (the 'Kutchka'), many of that group's most important operas, including Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Rimsky-Korsakov's May Night and Snow Maiden and Borodin's Prince Igor, had their premieres at the Mariinsky under Napravnik. Equally noteworthy were the first presentations of works by the more western-oriented composers Rubinstein (The Demon) and Tchaikovsky (The Queen of Spades, The Maid of Orleans and others).

Of even greater interest, perhaps, in the present context, is the list of top-class singers whom Napravnik recruited for the Mariinsky. Some of the most important of all, such as Yershov, Alchevsky, Litvinne and Kuznetsova, it has not been possible to include in the present collection: it is hoped to remedy this in a second volume. And above all there was of course, Chaliapin, already well represented on Prima Voce (NI7823/24).

Pre-eminent among the sopranos represented here is Antonina Nezhdanova, an astonishingly versatile artist who was equally at home in such contrasted parts as Constanze, the Queen of the Night, Zerlina (Fra Diavolo), Elsa and Antonida (A Life for the Tsar), her debut role of the Bolshoi in 1902. Her creator roles included that of Zabava Putyatishna (Dobrinya Nikitich) and the title role in Rachmaninov's Francesca da rimini, both at the Bolshoi, where she sang leading roles over a period of 40 years, interrupted only by brief visits abroad and a number of guest appearances at the Mariinsky. Russian writers on opera invariably bracket Nezhdanova with Chaliapin and Sobinov as supreme representatives of the country's vocal tradition.

One step lower on the ladder of fame was Lydia Lipkovskya, eleven years Nezhdanova's junior and intermittently between 1906 and 1917 a soloist at the Mariinsky, following her debut there as Gilda. In the periods between and after emigrating at the time of the Revolution she had an extensive and successful international career in both Europe and America. Two roles with which she was particularly associated were the fragile Snow Maiden and Rosina, whom she presented according to Sergei Levik, as a cynical schemer rather than an innocent ingenue. Her personal beauty and radiant stage presence inspired some adulatory verses by the poet Alexander Kuprin.

An almost exact contemporary of Lipkovskaya, whom she succeeded as leading soprano soloist at the Mariinsky was Yevgeniya Bronskaya. Following considerable experience in provincial theatres and abroad, she made her Mariinsky debut, as Lakme, in 1910, remaining there until 1923. Although commonly thought of as primarily a coloratura singer, she had a wide-ranging repertoire and was highly regarded as a recitalist and from 1939 held a post as professor at the Leningrad conservatoire.

Both Lipkovskya and Bronskaya are names familiar to collectors through the records they made for American Columbia in the 1920s; that of Elena Katulskaya is relatively unknown in the west. She too had a Mariinsky debut, as Lakme, in 1909. From 1913 continuously until 1946 she was soloist at the Bolshoi, along with yearly guest appearances in the provinces. Later in life she had a distinguished career as musicologist and teacher. Even less familiar in the west is the name of Maria Kovalenko, soloist at the Mariinsky from 1908 to 1928 and occasional guest artist at the Bolshoi. Her extensive repertoire covered most of the 'standard' roles, but also some less often heard at that time, such as Marcellin (Fidelio) and Maria (Tsar and Carpenter). She was also outstanding as a concert singer and recitalist. Admirers of her art included Glazunov and Chaliapin, Sergei Levik even rated her above Kuznetsova for both voice and acting ability.

Of the two mezzos on this disc, one, Yevgeniya Popello-Davidova, included here as partner of Nezhdanova in the Lakme duet (her only recording) never sang at the Mariinsky. She was a Bolshoi artist for five years (1909 - 1914). singing mainly secondary roles. Yevgeniya Zbruyeva, on the other hand, was a top-ranking singer who created a number of significant roles in lesser-known operas, as well as that of Marfa in the premiers of Khovanschina at both the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi. She was the daughter of the composer Pavel Bulakhov (1824 - 1875) and in 1893 made her Bolshoi debut as Vanya (A life for the Tsar) under that name. Between 1905 and 1918 she sang at the Mariinsky. During a long career she built up an enormous operative repertoire (45 roles in all) and an equally impressive concert and recital repertoire. And like many of her contemporaries she was, in later life, influential as a teacher.

Represented on this disc are two tenors well known to western record enthusiasts and three who are relatively unknown. Of the latter the most difficult to asses is David Yuzhin. His name is missing from the standard reference books, but he is known to have been a Bolshoi singer who made frequent appearances as Boito's Faust opposite Chaliapin as Mefistofele, including one such performance at the Mariinsky. He had a short singing career, apparently preferring the life of a touring impresario with a company starring his wife, the distinguished dramatic soprano Natalia Yermolenko-Yuzhina. Andrei Labinsky presents a very different picture. After a spell as chorister at the Mariinsky, he was tenor soloist alternately there and at the Bolshoi between 1899 and 1924. He created roles in operas by Napravnik, Rimsky-Korsakov and Cui and excelled also in all sectors of the regular tenor repertoire. He was a prolific recorder, with around 300 titles to his credit, none of which, sadly, were issued in the west.

Records by the third of our'unknown' tenors, Yevgeniy Vitting, did make an appearance in the west, but only as re-issues in a short-lived HMV 'Special list'. Vitting sang at the Mariinsky 1909 - 1918 (debut as Sobinin (A Life for the Tsar), but for most of his life he was resident in Riga, where he was a key figure in all aspects of musical activity in the Latvian republic. Roles in many lesser-known operas were among the 35 in his repertoire, and from 1920 onwards he was guest artist at an unparalleled number of opera houses in all parts of the world.

Mention has already been made of Sobinov's supreme position among Russian singers; Smirnov, too, was much admired, but he never attained the status of a national icon. Sobinov was Smirnov's senior by ten years, but since he had a relatively late start to his career, the two can be seen as contemporaries and, since they shared much the same repertoire, also as direct rivals. The relative merits of the two tenors has long been a favourite topic among record collectors, so it is not inappropriate to make a point by point comparison.

Whereas Sobinov was basically a Bolshoi singer who made frequent appearances at the Mariinsky, Smirnov held positions as soloist first at the Bolshoi and later, for a shorter period, at the Mariinsky. Sobinov's debut, at the Bolshoi, was as Sinodal (The Demon - mainstream opera); Smirnov's was in Camorra, a comic opera by Michele Esposito, at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Sobinov had a few short-term engagements at foreign opera houses (including La Scala), but his main career was rooted in Russia, both before and after the Revolution. Smirnov, on the other hand, had a full-scale international career, covering American as well as Europe. This may account for his records having had much wider currency than Sobinov's and extending into the beginnings of the electrical period, whereas Sobinov's appeared in the west only in the HMV Historical Catalogue.

Mikhail Karakash, the sole baritone on this disc, is best described as a mainly Mariinsky artist who made frequent guest appearances at the Bolshoi, in the provinces and abroad. His voice was on the small side, possibly more suited to solo recital work, in which his repertoire included songs by leading contemporary composers. In opera his principal roles were Onegin, Yeletsky and, above all, Rossini's Figaro. He left Russia in 1919 and pursued a career in a variety of musical capacities, in Paris, Belgrade and elsewhere.

The two final artists on this disc, the basses Lev Sibiryakov and Vladimir Kastorsky have this in common that either might have been ranked as number one Russian bass of his generation had it not been for the overwhelming presence of Chaliapin. Sibiryakov was Chaliapin's equal in stature and physique, but in interpretation of character his talent was limited. It has been suggested that for pure vocal quality he was Chaliapin's superior, and certainly his lower register is immensely impressive, yet his upper register was equally effective, enabling him - again like Chaliapin - to undertake baritone as well as bass roles. He was primarily a Mariinsky singer, but he also had considerable experience in Europe and America both before the Revolution and after he emigrated to the west in 1921. Much of the above could apply, detail excluded, equally to Kastorsky. His long association with the Mariinsky (debut there in 1898 as the High Priest in Serov's Rogneda) was interrupted by a five year spell at the Bolshoi and by guest appearances in all parts of the world, including also Diaghilev's Russian Seasons in London and Paris. Like Sibiryakov he was capable of a true basso profundo style, but he too also sang baritone roles, being particularly admired as Wotan. After retirement from the stage he continued to exercise a wide range of musical interests and activities in post-Revolution Russia and indeed became something of a national institution.


© 1994 Boris Semeonoff

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