Description

NIKOLAI SHEVELEV (POLTAVA, 18 DECEMBER, 1874 – TURINSK, 12 DECEMBER, 1929)

His real surname was Shevelyukhin, and he was born into a family of tailors. After completing his education at the Kiev Actual School, Shevelev developed a passion for the theater, performing secretly from his parents in a Ukrainian troupe starting in 1881. In this troupe, he performed in vaudevilles and divertissements. While touring provincial cities and St. Petersburg with the troupe, Italian singer Zanetti heard him sing and began offering Shevelev free vocal lessons.

By the late 1880s, Shevelev sang in a chorus and continued his vocal studies with baritone Antonio Cotogni and, from 1889 to 1896, with tenor Leopoldo Signoretti. In 1901, he took lessons from Pauline Viardot-García and later studied with Eugene Ryadnov in Tbilisi.

Shevelev made his operatic debut in 1896 at the Moscow Private Opera Theatre of S. Mamontov in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snow Maiden. He performed regularly at this theater until 1901 and again from 1903 to 1905. He sang in various opera houses, including in Perm (1897-1900 and 1902), Kiev (1901-1902), Nizhny Novgorod (1905), and St. Petersburg (1902, 1906-1908). From 1908 to 1913 and again from 1922 to 1924, he performed at S. Zimin’s Opera Theatre.

During his career, from 1913 to 1919, Shevelev also sang in Moscow and St. Petersburg, appearing in provincial theaters across Russia, including Irkutsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Taganrog, Sukhumi, Orenburg, Chita, Tbilisi, and Odessa. He was a soloist with the Tbilisi Opera Theatre from 1919 to 1922.

In addition to his performances in Russia, Shevelev sang internationally in Italy, Germany, Japan, China, Austria, and North and South America.

TRACKLIST

1. Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Kavatina Onegina, A1 – Kogda-by zhizn domashnim krugom Gramophone 022267 2608c
2. Faust (Gounod) Dio possente G&T 22562 383h
3. Faust (Gounod) Dio possente RAOG 40232
4. Halka (Moniuszko) Aria of Janusz 22645 1644B Berliner 1901
5. Kavkazskiy Plennik (Cui) Ariya G&T 22568 401h
6. Khovantschina (Mussorgsky) Aria Gramophone 22136 437s
7. Louder than the song of the lark, op 43 n° 1 (Rimsky-Korsakov) 22650  1672B Berliner 1901
8. Merchant Kalashnikov (Rubinstein) The Merchant’s aria 22644 1643B Berliner 1901
9. Nero (Rubinstein) Glory to thee, god Hymen Gramophone 022259 2523c
10. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Si puo Gramophone 3-22824 77602L
11. Polkovodetz (Musorgsky) Gramophone 022268 2609c
12. Rigoletto (Verdi) Pari siamo Gramophone  4-22034 7067r
13. Tannhauser (Wagner) O tu bell’astro Favorite 1-75202 8207-0
14. The Asra (Rubinstein) Op 32 No 6  Favorite 1-75221 8201-0
15. The cry of the snow-white seagull (Grodzki) with M.P. Kalinovskaya Favorite 1-79184 8356-0
16. The North Star (Glinka) Favorite 1-75219 8196-0
17. The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) I love you, dear 22649 1648B Berliner 1901
18. The Tsar’s Bride (Rimsky-Korsakov) Where is my old adventurous spirit Gramophone 3-22811 7758L
19. Traviata (Verdi) Di Provenza Favorite 1-75216 8357-0
20. Trovatore (Verdi) Il balen Gramophone 022324 2776c