Arnold Azrikan
Encyclopedia
Arnold Grigorevich Azrikan (February 23, 1906, Odessa
– July 19, 1976, Moscow
) was a Ukrainian and Russian operatic dramatic tenor.
's The Tales of Hoffmann.
In 1930 he was invited to the opera theater in Kharkov (the capital of Ukraine at that time) where he sang in the Ukrainian, Russian and Italian repertoires. In 1934 both the capital and the opera theatre's best soloists, including Azrikan, moved to Kiev
.
In 1939 Azrikan first sang the title role in Giuseppe Verdi
's Otello
which later became his signature role. He was awarded the prestigious title of Honored Artist of Ukraine in 1940, and along with his friendly rival Yuri Kiporenko-Domansky, Azrikan was the leading tenor at the Kiev Opera and Ballet Theatre
until 1943. The same year he joined the Yekaterinburg
(then called Sverdlovsk) Opera Theatre where he achieved his greatest recognition as a dramatic tenor in Otello. For this performance he was awarded the Stalin Prize
in 1946. He remained with this theatre until 1951. Later, he toured extensively all over the Soviet Union while having long time engagements with the Odessa Opera and Ballet theater and the Baku Opera and Ballet Theatre
. He retired from stage in 1964 during his engagement with the Moldova Opera Theater but returned to the same theater for his farewell performance in Otello in 1968.
In addition to his remarkable singing Azrikan also appeared as a stage director of several opera productions where he sang the leading parts. He was also known as an outstanding teacher while working at the Chişinău
Conservatory after his retirement from stage.
Russian
Ukrainian
Romanian
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
– July 19, 1976, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
) was a Ukrainian and Russian operatic dramatic tenor.
Biography and career
He began to sing at the age of twelve in a chorus of the city church in Odessa. Between 1926-1929, he studied at the Odessa Conservatory where he was coached by the singers Menner-Kanevskaya and Julia Reider. Later, in Kharkov, he would perfect his mastery of voice with Carlo Barrero, the renowned Italian tenor and teacher. He began first as a chorister at the Odessa Opera theater in 1926, and in 1928 he made his debut there as Nathanael in OffenbachJacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's The Tales of Hoffmann.
In 1930 he was invited to the opera theater in Kharkov (the capital of Ukraine at that time) where he sang in the Ukrainian, Russian and Italian repertoires. In 1934 both the capital and the opera theatre's best soloists, including Azrikan, moved to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.
In 1939 Azrikan first sang the title role in Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
which later became his signature role. He was awarded the prestigious title of Honored Artist of Ukraine in 1940, and along with his friendly rival Yuri Kiporenko-Domansky, Azrikan was the leading tenor at the Kiev Opera and Ballet Theatre
Kiev Opera
The Kiev Opera group was formally established in the summer of 1867, and is the third oldest in Ukraine, after Odessa Opera and Lviv Opera. Today, the Kiev Opera Company performs at the National Opera House of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko in Kiev....
until 1943. The same year he joined the Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
(then called Sverdlovsk) Opera Theatre where he achieved his greatest recognition as a dramatic tenor in Otello. For this performance he was awarded the Stalin Prize
USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
in 1946. He remained with this theatre until 1951. Later, he toured extensively all over the Soviet Union while having long time engagements with the Odessa Opera and Ballet theater and the Baku Opera and Ballet Theatre
Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
The Akhundov Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is a theatre in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was built in 1911.-History:...
. He retired from stage in 1964 during his engagement with the Moldova Opera Theater but returned to the same theater for his farewell performance in Otello in 1968.
In addition to his remarkable singing Azrikan also appeared as a stage director of several opera productions where he sang the leading parts. He was also known as an outstanding teacher while working at the Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
Conservatory after his retirement from stage.
Repertoire
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) - Des Grieux (Manon LescautManon Lescaut (Puccini)Manon Lescaut is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini. The story is based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost....
by Puccini) - Otello (OtelloOtelloOtello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
by Verdi)
Stage director
- Otello by Verdi (Kuibyshev Opera and Ballet Theater, 1950; Saratov Opera and Ballet Theater, 1951; Baku Opera and Ballet Theater, 1952; Chisinau Opera and Ballet Theater, 1964)
- IolantaIolantaIolanta, Op. 69, is a lyric opera in one act by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, and is based on the Danish play Kong Renés Datter by Henrik Hertz. The play was translated by Fyodor Miller and adapted by Vladimir Zotov...
by Tchaikovsky (Baku Opera and Ballet Theater, 1953) - Manon Lescaut by Puccini (Baku Opera and Ballet Theater, 1956)
Sound samples
- Aria Canio (Leoncavallo's Pagliacci) (soundtrack of movie Vozdushnyy izvozchik (Taxi to Heaven), Lenfilm, 1943.
Awards
- Deserved Artist of the Ukraine, 1940
- Stalin PrizeUSSR State PrizeThe USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
, 1946 (renamed as the USSR State Prize in 1954)
Sources
English- Azrikan, Dina and Dmitry. Arnold Azrikan: romance for a dramatic tenor. Highland Park, Illinois: Azrikan. 2006. 256. ISBN 978-0-615-13263-1 (also in Russian)
Russian
- Agin, M.S. Vokalno-entsiklopedichskii slovar [Encyclopedic Dictionary of Vocalists], Moscow, 1991. 15
- Azrikan, Dina and Azrikan, Dmitry. Arnold Azrikan: romans dlia dramaticheskogo tenora. Highland Park, Illinois. 2006. 256. ISBN 978-0-615-13263-1 (also in English).
- Belza, I. (April 17, 1946)."Otello" v Sverdlovskom opernom teatre ["Otello" at the Sverdlovsk Opera Theater], Izvestia.
- Demianenko, S. (July 31, 1946). "Glazami rezhissera" [By the director's eye], Teatr i zritel.
- Ebergardt, S., Porska V. Nash opernyi [Our opera theater], Yekaterinburg: Uralskoe literaturnoe agentstvo, 1998. 73-75, 128.
- Maksimenko, V.S. Dva veka odesskogo Gorodskogo teatra [Two Centuries of the Odessa Civic Theater], Odessa: Astroprint, 2005. 248. ISBN 966-318-261-X
- Maksimenko, V.S.Gorodskoi teatr Odessy: 1809-2009 [The Odessa Civic Theater: 1809-2009], Odessa: Astroprint, 2010. 177-179. ISBN 978-966-190-260-1
- Matafonova, Y. (April 27, 2007). "Vertinskii pisal o nem tak…" [Vertinsky wrote about him these words…], Uralskii rabochii [The Urals Worker].
- Pozhar, S. "Luchshii Otello" (Best Otello), "Moldova" 5-6 (2007): 19-21.
- Vertinskaia, Lidiia. Siniaia ptitsa liubvi [Blue bird of love], Moskva: Vagrius, 2004. 168. ISBN 5-475-00006-9
Ukrainian
- Entsyklopediia sychasnoi Ukrainy [Contemporary Ukrainian encyclopedia], Kiev: NAU, 2001. T.1. 229. ISBN 966-02-2075-8
- Lysenko, Ivan. Slovnyk spivakiv Ukrainy [Dictionary of the Ukrainian singers], Kiev: Rada, 1997. 10. ISBN 966-7087-11-5
- Lysenko, Ivan. Ukrainski spivaky u spohadakh suchasnykiv [Ukrainian singers in the memoirs of their contemporaries], Kiev: Rada, 2003, 531. ISBN 966-7087-51-4
- Myttsi Ukrainy: entsyklopedychnyi dovidnyk [Muses of Ukraine: encyclopedia], Kiev: Ukrainska entsyklopediia, 1992. 16.
Romanian
- Eskenasy, Victor (21–27 April 2007). "Arnold Azrikan - Tenorul de neuitat". Suplimentul de Cultura 124, p. 12.