Sergei Yudin (tenor)
Encyclopedia
Sergei Petrovich Yudin (Russian
: Сергей Петрович Юдин, May 5, 1963) was a leading Russian operatic tenor
with a lyric voice. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation in 1933.
. In 1900-1906 he studied in the Moscow Higher Technical School. Then he was carried away by the idea of being a singer and since 1906 he took lessons from Hryhory Alchevsky. Later he continues his musical education under Professor Alexander Dodonov
.
In 1910 Yudin was invited for an audition in the Bolshoi Theatre
during which he produced a most favorable impression on the commission members. On the 14th of February, 1911 he made his debut in the Bolshoi in the part of Bayan in Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka
. His debut was a great success but by the decision of the management he was for some time engaged only in secondary roles: The Indian in Sadko
by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
and Sinodal in The Demon
by Anton Rubinstein
. The main part in this production was performed by the famous baritone Georges Baklanoff
.
His debut in the main role was the part of Lensky in Eugene Onegin
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
in 1913. His partners were M. Gukova (Tatiana) and I. Gryzunov (Onegin), the conductor being Emil Cooper
.
The press published laudatory reviews. On the 23d of April, 1913 the Season’s News wrote: “For the first times, apart from Sobinov
, we have heard one more veritable Lensky…”. Yudin was invited to sing this part in the Casino Theater in Monte Carlo
where the best singers of Europe, including Feodor Chaliapin
, Enrico Caruso and Dmitri Smirnov, performed at that time. However, Yudin declined this invitation as he did not consider himself ready for an international debut at such a high level.
At the beginning of 1914, after some conflict with the Bolshoi management which continued to underrate him, Yudin becomes engaged in Sergei Zimin
's private opera house where he performs all the leading parts of a lyric tenor and becomes a leader of a troup which successfully competes with the Bolshoi. His partners in Zimin's opera-house were outstanding singers of that period. Thus he sang with Feodor Chaliapin
in Charles Gounod
's Faust
, Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville
and several other productions.
In 1919 Yudin returns to the Bolshoi, where he performs the repertoire which made him famous in Sergei Zimin
's opera. Also he took part in a unique mock production of The Barber of Seville Upside Down, where he performed the part of Rosina and Antonina Nezhdanova
performed the part of Count Almaviva. This experiment required a great vocal mastery from the singers: Yudin who was capable of singing falsetto
parts was singing Rosina part in the soprano
tessitura
.
The performance was a huge success owing to the excellent acting of the singers in their unusual emploi.
Yudin had a strong voice with a soft timbre, superb vocal technique and artistic mastery.
He could sing falsetto parts and his voice was distinguished by the double timbre: it was close to a tenor altino: in the upper register it was close to soprano and in the lower register – to baritone
. The critics deemed his voice to be a strong, manly, lyric tenor which overcame all technique difficulties. The manner of singing was simple, dignified, expressive without the affected sweetness common to tenors of that period. He had an excellent diction, delivered every word and every phrase in a meaningful manner with a perfect sense of form and style. Those were the superb qualities of the singer who could refrain from imitation of other tenors of great renown.
In the 1920s Yudin becomes involved in directing operas and training younger singers. In 1932-33 he made a few productions in the Bolshoi
having employed a group of young singers: Rigoletto
by Giuseppe Verdi
, Pagliacci
by Ruggero Leoncavallo
, Mozart and Salieri
by Rimsky-Korsakov
.
His vocal career was ended in 1941. His last works as a director in the Bolshoi second stage were Tosca
by Giacomo Puccini
, Dubrovsky
by Eduard Nápravník
and The Barber of Seville
by Gioachino Rossini.
During the World War II
Yudin works as a director and a teacher in the Moscow Opera Studio. One of his pupils was his daughter Tatiana Sergeyevna Yudina, the future soloist of the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre and of the All-Union Radio.
Since 1948 till 1963 Yudin had been a Professor of the Moscow Conservatory
. His book “The Singer and His Voice” was published in 1947. He described his stage and teaching experience in it.
Yudin's family lived in a 5-room apartment in Ogaryov street 3, apt. 62.
The walls of the apartment were adorned by Italian landscapes painted by Sergei Yudin's brother and by maquettes of the scenes of operatic productions. The family spent summers in their dacha in Nikolina Gora. To the last days of his life Yudin lived for his profession and his art.
Sergei Petrovich Yudin died on the 5th of July, 1963. He was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery
, plot 8 row 30.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Сергей Петрович Юдин, May 5, 1963) was a leading Russian operatic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
with a lyric voice. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation in 1933.
Biography
Sergei Petrovich Yudin was born on the 8th of July, 1889 in Moscow, to the family of an office employee. From early childhood he showed great artistic gifts and inclinations and studied in the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture where one of his teachers was Apollinary VasnetsovApollinary Vasnetsov
Apollinary Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov , 1856, the village of Riabovo, Vyatka province - January 23, 1933, Moscow) was a Russian painter and graphic artist whose elder brother was the more famous Viktor Vasnetsov. He specialized in scenes from the medieval history of Moscow.Vasnetsov was a painter and a...
. In 1900-1906 he studied in the Moscow Higher Technical School. Then he was carried away by the idea of being a singer and since 1906 he took lessons from Hryhory Alchevsky. Later he continues his musical education under Professor Alexander Dodonov
Alexander Dodonov
Alexander Mikhailovich Dodonov was a Russian opera singer. Vocally, he is best described as a lyrical and dramatic tenor....
.
In 1910 Yudin was invited for an audition in the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
during which he produced a most favorable impression on the commission members. On the 14th of February, 1911 he made his debut in the Bolshoi in the part of Bayan in Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
. His debut was a great success but by the decision of the management he was for some time engaged only in secondary roles: The Indian in Sadko
Sadko (opera)
Sadko is an opera in seven scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by the composer, with assistance from Vladimir Belsky, Vladimir Stasov, and others. Rimsky-Korsakov was first inspired by the bylina of Sadko in 1867, when he completed a tone poem on the subject, his Op. 5...
by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
and Sinodal in The Demon
The Demon (opera)
The Demon is an opera in three acts by Russian composer Anton Rubinstein. The work was composed in 1871. The libretto was by Pavel Viskovatov, based on the poem of the same name by Mikhail Lermontov.-Background:...
by Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
. The main part in this production was performed by the famous baritone Georges Baklanoff
Georges Baklanoff
Georges Baklanoff was a Russian operatic baritone who had an active international career from 1903 until his death in 1938. Possessing a powerful and flexible voice, he sang roles from a wide variety of musical periods and in many languages...
.
His debut in the main role was the part of Lensky in Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin (opera)
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
in 1913. His partners were M. Gukova (Tatiana) and I. Gryzunov (Onegin), the conductor being Emil Cooper
Emil Cooper
Emil Albertovich Cooper, also known as Emil Kuper was a Russian conductor and violinist, of English ancestry....
.
The press published laudatory reviews. On the 23d of April, 1913 the Season’s News wrote: “For the first times, apart from Sobinov
Leonid Sobinov
Leonid Vitalyevich Sobinov , was an acclaimed Imperial Russian operatic tenor. His fame continued unabated into the Soviet era, and he was made a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1923...
, we have heard one more veritable Lensky…”. Yudin was invited to sing this part in the Casino Theater in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
where the best singers of Europe, including Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase...
, Enrico Caruso and Dmitri Smirnov, performed at that time. However, Yudin declined this invitation as he did not consider himself ready for an international debut at such a high level.
At the beginning of 1914, after some conflict with the Bolshoi management which continued to underrate him, Yudin becomes engaged in Sergei Zimin
Sergei Zimin
Sergei Ivanovich Zimin was the Russian entrepreneur and opera manager. In 1903 he founded Zimin Opera company.Under his leadership Zimin Opera staged more than 120 operas....
's private opera house where he performs all the leading parts of a lyric tenor and becomes a leader of a troup which successfully competes with the Bolshoi. His partners in Zimin's opera-house were outstanding singers of that period. Thus he sang with Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase...
in Charles Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
's Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
, Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
and several other productions.
In 1919 Yudin returns to the Bolshoi, where he performs the repertoire which made him famous in Sergei Zimin
Sergei Zimin
Sergei Ivanovich Zimin was the Russian entrepreneur and opera manager. In 1903 he founded Zimin Opera company.Under his leadership Zimin Opera staged more than 120 operas....
's opera. Also he took part in a unique mock production of The Barber of Seville Upside Down, where he performed the part of Rosina and Antonina Nezhdanova
Antonina Nezhdanova
Antonina Vasilievna Nezhdanova was a Russian lyric-coloratura soprano. An outstanding opera singer, she represented the Russian vocal school at its best....
performed the part of Count Almaviva. This experiment required a great vocal mastery from the singers: Yudin who was capable of singing falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
parts was singing Rosina part in the soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
tessitura
Tessitura
In music, the term tessitura generally describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable range for a given singer or, less frequently, musical instrument; the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre...
.
The performance was a huge success owing to the excellent acting of the singers in their unusual emploi.
Yudin had a strong voice with a soft timbre, superb vocal technique and artistic mastery.
He could sing falsetto parts and his voice was distinguished by the double timbre: it was close to a tenor altino: in the upper register it was close to soprano and in the lower register – to baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
. The critics deemed his voice to be a strong, manly, lyric tenor which overcame all technique difficulties. The manner of singing was simple, dignified, expressive without the affected sweetness common to tenors of that period. He had an excellent diction, delivered every word and every phrase in a meaningful manner with a perfect sense of form and style. Those were the superb qualities of the singer who could refrain from imitation of other tenors of great renown.
In the 1920s Yudin becomes involved in directing operas and training younger singers. In 1932-33 he made a few productions in the Bolshoi
having employed a group of young singers: Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
by 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...
, Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer. His two-act work Pagliacci remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, appearing as number 20 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.-Biography:...
, Mozart and Salieri
Mozart and Salieri
Mozart and Salieri is a one-act opera in two scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, written in 1897 to a Russian libretto taken almost verbatim from Alexander Pushkin's 1830 verse drama of the same name....
by Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
.
His vocal career was ended in 1941. His last works as a director in the Bolshoi second stage were Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
by Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
, Dubrovsky
Dubrovsky (opera)
Dubrovsky is an opera in four acts Op. 58, by Eduard Nápravník, to a Russian libretto by Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky after the novel of the same title by Alexander Pushkin.-Creation and performance history:...
by Eduard Nápravník
Eduard Nápravník
Eduard Francevič Nápravník was a Czech conductor and composer, who settled in Russia and is best known for his leading role in Russian musical life as the principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg for many decades...
and The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
by Gioachino Rossini.
During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Yudin works as a director and a teacher in the Moscow Opera Studio. One of his pupils was his daughter Tatiana Sergeyevna Yudina, the future soloist of the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre and of the All-Union Radio.
Since 1948 till 1963 Yudin had been a Professor of the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
. His book “The Singer and His Voice” was published in 1947. He described his stage and teaching experience in it.
Yudin's family lived in a 5-room apartment in Ogaryov street 3, apt. 62.
The walls of the apartment were adorned by Italian landscapes painted by Sergei Yudin's brother and by maquettes of the scenes of operatic productions. The family spent summers in their dacha in Nikolina Gora. To the last days of his life Yudin lived for his profession and his art.
Sergei Petrovich Yudin died on the 5th of July, 1963. He was buried in Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
, plot 8 row 30.
Selected operatic parts
- Alfredo in La traviataLa traviataLa traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
by Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century... - Bagoas in JudithJudith (Serov)Judith , is an opera in five acts, composed by Alexander Serov during 1861-1863. Derived from renditions of the story of Judith from the Old Testament Apocrypha, the Russian libretto, though credited to the composer, has a complicated history . The premiere took place in 1863 in Saint Petersburg...
by Alexander SerovAlexander SerovAlexander Nikolayevich Serov – was a Russian composer and music critic. He and his wife Valentina were the parents of painter Valentin Serov... - Bayan in Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail GlinkaMikhail GlinkaMikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
- Canio in PagliacciPagliacciPagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
by Ruggero LeoncavalloRuggero LeoncavalloRuggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer. His two-act work Pagliacci remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, appearing as number 20 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.-Biography:... - Count Almaviva in The Barber of SevilleThe Barber of SevilleThe Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
by Gioachino Rossini - Erekle in Il tradimento by Mikhail Ippolitov-IvanovMikhail Ippolitov-IvanovMikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov was a Russian composer, conductor and teacher.- Biography :...
- Faust in FaustFaust (opera)Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
by Charles GounodCharles GounodCharles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:... - Fra Diavolo in Fra Diavolo ou L’hotellerie de TerracinFra Diavolo (opera)Fra Diavolo, ou L'hôtellerie de Terracine is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer Daniel Auber, from a libretto by Auber's regular collaborator Eugène Scribe...
by Daniel AuberDaniel AuberDaniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments... - Gérald in LakméLakméLakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...
by Léo DelibesLéo DelibesClément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage... - Le Chevalier des Grieux in ManonManonManon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
by Jules MassenetJules MassenetJules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas... - Lensky in Eugene OneginEugene Onegin (opera)Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
by Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
in 1913 - Levko in May NightMay NightMay Night is an opera in three acts, four scenes, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov from a libretto by the composer and is based on Nikolai Gogol's story May Night, or the Drowned Maiden, from his collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka....
by Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César... - Lohengrin in LohengrinLohengrin (opera)Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
by Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas... - Mozart in Mozart and SalieriMozart and SalieriMozart and Salieri is a one-act opera in two scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, written in 1897 to a Russian libretto taken almost verbatim from Alexander Pushkin's 1830 verse drama of the same name....
by Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César... - Muri in The Mandarin's SonThe Mandarin's SonThe Mandarin's Son is comic opera in one act by César Cui, composed in 1859. The libretto, which includes spoken dialogue, was written by V.A...
by César CuiCésar CuiCésar Antonovich Cui was a Russian of French and Lithuanian descent. His profession was as an army officer and a teacher of fortifications; his avocational life has particular significance in the history of music, in that he was a composer and music critic; in this sideline he is known as a...
, 1914 - Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perlesLes pêcheurs de perlesLes pêcheurs de perles is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run...
by Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a... - Prince Leopold in La JuiveLa JuiveLa Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
by Fromental HalévyFromental HalévyJacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
, 1914 - Prince Sinodal in The DemonThe Demon (opera)The Demon is an opera in three acts by Russian composer Anton Rubinstein. The work was composed in 1871. The libretto was by Pavel Viskovatov, based on the poem of the same name by Mikhail Lermontov.-Background:...
by Anton RubinsteinAnton RubinsteinAnton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos... - Rodolfo in La bohèmeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire... - Roméo in Roméo et JulietteRoméo et JulietteRoméo et Juliette is an opéra in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique , Paris on 27 April 1867...
by Charles GounodCharles GounodCharles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:... - Ryleyev in Decembrists by Vasily ZolotarevVasily ZolotarevVasily Andreyevich Zolotarev , sometimes spelled as Zolotaryov , was a Russian composer, music teacher, and People's Artist of Russia.-Biography:...
- Schukar in Virgin Soil Upturned (Podnyataya tselina) by Ivan DzerzhinskyIvan DzerzhinskyIvan Ivanovich Dzerzhinsky was a Russian composer. He is notable in that the work for which he best known, his opera Quiet Flows the Don , was more successful for its political potential than for any musical distinction.-Personal life and career:Born in Tambov, Dzerzhinsky had an extended formal...
in 1938 - The Astrologer in The Golden CockerelThe Golden CockerelThe Golden Cockerel is an opera in three acts, with short prologue and even shorter epilogue, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Its libretto, by Vladimir Belsky, derives from Alexander Pushkin's 1834 poem The Tale of the Golden Cockerel, which in turn is based on two chapters of Tales of the Alhambra by...
by Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
in 1924 - The Duke in RigolettoRigolettoRigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
by Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
in 1929 - The Indian in SadkoSadko (opera)Sadko is an opera in seven scenes by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The libretto was written by the composer, with assistance from Vladimir Belsky, Vladimir Stasov, and others. Rimsky-Korsakov was first inspired by the bylina of Sadko in 1867, when he completed a tone poem on the subject, his Op. 5...
by Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César... - Tsar Berendey in The Snow MaidenThe Snow MaidenThe Snow Maiden: A Spring Fairy Tale is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composed during 1880–1881. The Russian libretto, by the composer, is based on the like-named play by Alexander Ostrovsky .The first performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera took place at the...
by Nikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César... - Vladimir Dubrovsky in DubrovskyDubrovsky (opera)Dubrovsky is an opera in four acts Op. 58, by Eduard Nápravník, to a Russian libretto by Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky after the novel of the same title by Alexander Pushkin.-Creation and performance history:...
by Eduard NápravníkEduard NápravníkEduard Francevič Nápravník was a Czech conductor and composer, who settled in Russia and is best known for his leading role in Russian musical life as the principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg for many decades... - Vladimir Igorevich in Prince IgorPrince IgorPrince Igor is an opera in four acts with a prologue. It was composed by Alexander Borodin. The composer adapted the libretto from the East Slavic epic The Lay of Igor's Host, which recounts the campaign of Russian prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the invading Polovtsian tribes in 1185...
by Alexander BorodinAlexander BorodinAlexander Porfiryevich Borodin was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five , who were dedicated to producing a specifically Russian kind of art music...