Zara Dolukhanova
Encyclopedia
Zara Dolukhanova (b. 5 March 1918, Moscow, Russia – 5 December 2007) was an Armenia
n mezzo-soprano
who achieved fame performing on many lauded radio
broadcasts of operas and works from the concert repertoire during the 1940s through the 1960s. Although considered one of Soviet-era Russia's most accomplished opera singers, Dolukhanova made only a relatively small number of appearances on the actual opera stage and her fame rests primarily in her extensive work for radio and performances on the concert stage.
Dolukhanova's voice was a rare coloratura-mezzo, of unique clarity and unusually wide range. Considered one of the great singers of the Soviet
era, Dolukhanova was notable for her championing of the operas of Gioachino Rossini, drawing particular acclaim for her Isabella in L'italiana in Algeri
and Angelina in La Cenerentola
. She also performed a wide range of works from concert repertoire that encompassed most of the great Russian composers as well as numerous works by Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Meyerbeer. In 1966, she was awarded the Lenin Prize
.
, to parents of Armenian descent. Her mother, Elena Makaryan, was also a professional singer, and her father, Aghasi Makaryan, was a professional flautist
, clarinettist and trumpeter. She first studied the piano, then the violin, but finally decided at age 16 that she wanted to study singing. She studied at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow with V. Belyayeva-Tarassevitch. She made her operatic debut in 1938 with the Yerevan
Opera as Siebel in Gounod
's Faust
. She remained a member of that company for the next three years, singing mainly minor roles.
Shortly after leaving the Yerevan Opera, Dolukhanova married the composer Alexander Dolukhanian, and from this point on used her married name when she performed. She continued to perform with minor opera houses in Armenia until she and her husband relocated to Moscow in 1944, when she was appointed as a soloist with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra
of the Moscow Radio. She sang often with the orchestra over the next two decades. In 1959 she became a leading soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
, performing with the orchestra frequently during the 1960s. After 1963, she began to take on soprano roles, including the title roles in Norma
, Aida
, and Tosca
. She notably performed in the Russian premieres of Suor Angelica
and Strauss's Four Last Songs
, as well as the 1955 world premiere of Shostakovich's song cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry
.
Outside of Russia, Dolukhanova maintained an unusually active concert and recital schedule for a Soviet-era artist. She made her United States debut at Carnegie Hall
in New York City in 1959 and also toured the United Kingdom
, Scandinavia
, Japan
, New Zealand
and Latin America
during her career.
In 1970, Dolukhanova retired from singing and joined the voice faculty at the Gnessin Institute where she taught for more than twenty-five years. Among her pupils was the mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina
.
She died in Moscow.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
who achieved fame performing on many lauded radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts of operas and works from the concert repertoire during the 1940s through the 1960s. Although considered one of Soviet-era Russia's most accomplished opera singers, Dolukhanova made only a relatively small number of appearances on the actual opera stage and her fame rests primarily in her extensive work for radio and performances on the concert stage.
Dolukhanova's voice was a rare coloratura-mezzo, of unique clarity and unusually wide range. Considered one of the great singers of the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
era, Dolukhanova was notable for her championing of the operas of Gioachino Rossini, drawing particular acclaim for her Isabella in L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca...
and Angelina in La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
. She also performed a wide range of works from concert repertoire that encompassed most of the great Russian composers as well as numerous works by Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Meyerbeer. In 1966, she was awarded the Lenin Prize
Lenin Prize
The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the USSR, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was created on June 23, 1925 and was awarded until 1934. During the period from 1935 to 1956, the Lenin Prize was...
.
Life
Dolukhanova was born Zara Makaryan, in MoscowMoscow
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...
, to parents of Armenian descent. Her mother, Elena Makaryan, was also a professional singer, and her father, Aghasi Makaryan, was a professional flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
, clarinettist and trumpeter. She first studied the piano, then the violin, but finally decided at age 16 that she wanted to study singing. She studied at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow with V. Belyayeva-Tarassevitch. She made her operatic debut in 1938 with the Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
Opera as Siebel in 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...
. She remained a member of that company for the next three years, singing mainly minor roles.
Shortly after leaving the Yerevan Opera, Dolukhanova married the composer Alexander Dolukhanian, and from this point on used her married name when she performed. She continued to perform with minor opera houses in Armenia until she and her husband relocated to Moscow in 1944, when she was appointed as a soloist with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio
The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio is a Russian classical music orchestra established in 1930. Originally founded as the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, it served as the official symphony for the Soviet All-Union Radio network...
of the Moscow Radio. She sang often with the orchestra over the next two decades. In 1959 she became a leading soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953...
, performing with the orchestra frequently during the 1960s. After 1963, she began to take on soprano roles, including the title roles in Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
, Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, and 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...
. She notably performed in the Russian premieres of Suor Angelica
Suor Angelica
Suor Angelica is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is the second opera of the trio of operas known as Il trittico...
and Strauss's Four Last Songs
Four Last Songs
The Four Last Songs for soprano and orchestra were the final completed works of Richard Strauss, composed in 1948 when the composer was 84. Strauss did not live to hear the premiere, given at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 22 May 1950 by the soprano Kirsten Flagstad accompanied by the...
, as well as the 1955 world premiere of Shostakovich's song cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry
From Jewish Folk Poetry
From Jewish Folk Poetry is a song cycle for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and piano by Dmitri Shostakovich. It uses texts taken from archives of Jewish folk music compiled and translated by Moyshe Beregovsky and Y. M. Sokolov....
.
Outside of Russia, Dolukhanova maintained an unusually active concert and recital schedule for a Soviet-era artist. She made her United States debut at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York City in 1959 and also toured the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
during her career.
In 1970, Dolukhanova retired from singing and joined the voice faculty at the Gnessin Institute where she taught for more than twenty-five years. Among her pupils was the mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina
Olga Borodina
Olga Vladimirovna Borodina is a leading dramatic mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in Russian operas at her home company, the Mariinsky Theatre, and for her international performing and recording career in a varied repertoire.Borodina made her debut in Samson and Delilah at the Royal Opera House...
.
She died in Moscow.
Recordings
- Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri: Zara Dolukhanova, A. Nikitin, Vladimir Zakharov, Georgi Abramov, Anatoly Tikhonov, Moscow Philharmonic OrchestraMoscow Philharmonic OrchestraThe Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953...
, Moscow Radio Chorus, conductor: Samuil SamosudSamuil SamosudSamuil Abramovich Samosud |Georgia]], — Moscow, 6 November 1964) was a Russian conductor. He started his musical career on the cello, before conducting in the Mariinsky Theater, Petrograd in 1917. From 1918 to 1936 he conducted at the Maly Operny, Leningrad. In 1936 he became musical...
. Gala Records, 1951. * Rossini: Zolushka - La cenerentola: Zara Dolukhanova, Anatoly Orfenov, Vladimir Zakharov, Genady Troitsky, Moscow Radio Orchestra, Moscow Radio Chorus, conductor: Onissim Bron. 1950.