THE STARS OF ZIMIN OPERA (1904 – 1917)

The Zimin Opera Theatre was a private opera house founded in 1904 in Moscow by S. I. Zimin. It was nationalized in 1917 and later transformed into a branch of the Bolshoi Theatre in 1924. The theatre officially opened on October 1 (14), 1904, at the Aquarium Theatre with a performance of May Night by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.

From 1908 onward, performances were held on the stage of the Solodovnikov Theatre (now the premises of the Operetta Theatre). The Zimin Opera promoted Russian classical opera—Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky, for example, was presented without the usual cuts and included the “Under Kromy” scene—and also staged major works of Western European repertoire. Notably, Wagner’s The Mastersingers of Nuremberg was performed here for the first time in Russia in 1909.

During World War I, in 1914, Zimin organized a hospital in Moscow where wounded soldiers were cared for by the theatre’s artists and staff. In 1916, he opened an Opera Studio, where singers were trained according to methods he had developed. However, the studio was soon closed by the new Soviet authorities.

Following the October Revolution in 1917, the Zimin Opera was nationalized and renamed the Theatre of the Council of Workers’ Deputies. It later became the Small State Opera in 1919 and the Theatre of Musical Drama in 1921. Despite the nationalization, Sergei Ivanovich Zimin continued to work at the theatre for a time as a member of the management.

Selected Productions:

1907 – The Maid of Orleans
Conductor: Palitsyn; Director: Olenin
Charles VII – Picock; Dunois – Vekov; Lionel – Bocharov; Cardinal – Trubin; Agnes – Dobrovolskaya; Joan of Arc – Petrova-Zvantseva; Thibaud – Osipov; Raymond – Karenzin

September 24, 1909 – The Golden Cockerel by Rimsky-Korsakov (first performance)
Director: Olenin; Designer: Bilibin; Conductor: Cooper
Queen of Shemakha – Dobrovolskaya; Dodon – Speransky; Astrologer – Picock; Amelfa – Rostovtseva; Polkan – Zaporozhets; Gvidon – Ernst; Afron – Dikov; Golden Cockerel – Klopotovskaya

1911 – The Oprichnik
Conductor: Palitsyn; Director: Olenin; Set Designer: Matorin
Andrei – Damaev; Natalia – Milova; Morozova – Ostrogradskaya; Zhemchuzhny – Trubin

1911 – The Valley by Eugen d’Albert (second production in Russia after Odessa)
Conductor: Palitsyn; Director: Olenin
Pedro – Damaev; Sebastiano – Bocharov; Marta – Druzyakin; Tomaso – Osipov; Nuri – Turchaninova; Moruccio – Chugunov; Nando – Skuba

The Zimin Opera staged numerous works, including:

Russian operas: Ivan Susanin, Rusalka, The Demon, Prince Igor, The Snow Maiden, Sadko, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Khovanshchina, Boris Godunov (complete with “Under Kromy” scene), The Miller–Sorcerer, Deceiver and Matchmaker by Sokolovsky, Askold’s Grave, Rogneda by Serov

Tchaikovsky’s operas (most of his works)

Western European operas: Aida, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Manon by Massenet, Louise by Charpentier

Other premieres: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (1909), Carmen, The Captain’s Daughter by Cui, Klara Milich by Kastalsky, Trilby by Yurasovsky, Sister Beatrice by Grechaninov

In 1916, The Wedding, a comic opera by V. Ehrenberg based on Chekhov’s vaudeville, premiered here

In 1908, Zimin also opened the Orion Theatre in Moscow as a branch of the Zimin Opera, focused on young artists. The great soprano Valeria Barsova made her debut at the Zimin Opera in 1917.

The theatre was formed by merging Zimin’s private troupe with much of the ensemble from the “Association of Artists of the Moscow Private Opera,” led by M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, which disbanded in 1904.

Zimin employed both celebrated singers and emerging talents. As the Great Soviet Encyclopedia noted, “Along with famous singers, Zimin invited young actors to his theatre, often organizing support for their vocal and artistic development.”

Notable Artists of the Zimin Opera:

Singers: F. I. Shalyapin, L. V. Sobinov, L. M. Klementyev, A. M. Matveyev, P. S. Olenin (chief director from 1907), V. I. Strakhova, V. R. Picock, O. I. Kaminsky, V. L. Nardov, A. I. Ulukhanov, R. K. Lambert, N. D. Vekov, E. V. Nechaeva, E. Ya. Tsvetkova, V. N. Petrova-Zvantseva, S. I. Druzyakin, M. I. Zakrevskaya, N. S. Ermolenko-Yuzhina, M. V. Bocharov, V. P. Damaev, N. I. Speransky, M. I. Donetsk, Yu. S. Kiporenko-Damansky

Directors: A. V. Ivanovsky, A. P. Petrovsky, N. N. Zvantsev, F. F. Komissarzhevsky

Conductors: M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, E. A. Cooper, A. M. Pazovsky, M. M. Bagrinovsky, E. E. Plotnikov

Instrumentalists: Violinist Yu. F. Fayer, clarinetist F. I. Nikolaevsky

Dancers: M. F. Moiseyev

Foreign Guests:

Zimin also invited international stars, including singers Titta Ruffo, Domenico Anselmi, Lina Cavalieri; conductors Édouard Colonne (1907) and Bruno Walter (1914); and the legendary baritone Mattia Battistini, who sang at the theatre for many years. In 1915, ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya performed on the theatre stage, and in 1916, Michel Fokine brought his ballet troupe to perform there.

TRACKLIST

Mikhail Sokolsky Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky): Mazurka and Quarrel scene – You do not dance with Alexander Davidov 24478 6280L G&T St. Petersburg 1907
Yuli Modestov The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky): If only darling maidens (Chaikovsky) X-2-62492 14493b Zonophone, -3-10
Yuli Modestov Proshalnoe slovo, Op 12 No 1 (Slonov) A word of farewell X-2-62619 1443ae Zonophone, -9-10
Emilia Kristman Sancta Maria (Faure) 91064 Victor 1902
Emilia Kristman Ave Maria (Gounod) (violin J. J. Kristman) G&T 23190 309z
Tadeusz Orda Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky): Monologue Sirena 1925
Mikhail Bocharov Demon (Rubinstein) Do not weep, child X-2-62178 Zonophone, Moscow 07
Mikhail Bocharov Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky): Aria X-62631 Zonophone, Moscow 07
Mikhail Bocharov Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) Song of the Viking guest X-2-62179 Zonophone, Moscow 07
Mikhail Bocharov Traviata (Verdi): Di Provenza il mar il suol X-62630 27 Zonophone, Moscow 07
Alexander Karenzin Eugene Onegin (Chaikovsky): I love you with Z. I. Ershova X-2-64035 Zonophone, Moscow -08
Alexander Karenzin La Traviata (Verdi): Brindisi – Libiam, libiamo X-64246 6671L Zonophone, Moscow -08
Alexander Karenzin Lakme (Delibes): Ariya Geralda – Mozhno l nazvat prestuplenem (Delibes) X-62648 6614L Zonophone, Moscow -08
Alexander Karenzin The sweet scent of lilac, Romance (Plotnikov) X-2-62649 6592L Zonophone, Moscow -08
Sergei Yudin Faust (Gounod): Salut demeure R11105 Beka, Moscow 1914
Sergei Yudin Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Je crois entendre R11103 Beka, Moscow 1914
Sergei Yudin May Night (Rimsky-Korsakov): Sleep, My Beauty R11102 Beka, Moscow 1914
Polikarp Orlov Orlov Novgorod (Deutsch) The time flew G&T 22046 256z
Polikarp Orlov Don Juan (Napravnik): Serenad of Don Juan 22030 207z G&T, St Petersburg 1902?
Polikarp Orlov Guarda che bianca luna (Campana) with Maria Michailova G&T 24087 352z

Beka

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