Description

OSCAR KAMIONSKY (KIEV, 18 (30), 1869 – YALTA, 15 AUGUST, 1917)

From 1888 to 1891, he studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Everardi, Gabel, and Palechek. On the advice of Anton Rubinstein, he went to Italy to study voice with E. Rossi. In 1892, he made his debut at the Teatro Bellini in Naples, followed by performances at opera houses in Florence (notably as Tonio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci) and at the Royal Opera House in Athens. In 1893, he returned to Russia, performing in Kharkiv (1893-94, 1898-99), Kiev (1894-95, 1902-04), Rostov-on-Don (1895-96), and Tiflis (1896-1901), among other cities. During the 1904-05 season, he sang at the Private Opera House of Tsereteli in St. Petersburg, and from 1905 to 1908, he appeared at S. Zimin’s Opera House in Moscow.

In 1909, Kamionsky toured the cities of Siberia and Japan. He retired from the stage in 1915. Kamionsky possessed a relatively small but beautiful voice with a refined upper register. A master of bel canto, he performed both lyrical and dramatic roles, earning him the nickname “the Russian Battistini.” Throughout his career, he performed over 40 roles and was regarded as the leading Russian baritone of his era. Known for his brilliance and precision, he was also considered somewhat self-centered. His life was tragically cut short by cancer.

TRACKLIST

Cloches de Corneville (Planquette) Une servante, que m’importe 8925 Ariophon
Demon (Rubinstein) Do not weep, child 13642 Stella, St. Petersburg 1911
Demon (Rubinstein) Do not weep, child G&T 2-22788 2897L St. Petersburg, 1905
Demon (Rubinstein) On the Ocean of the Air 2-22757 2963L Gramophone, St. Petersburg, 1905
Demon (Rubinstein) The demon’s oath 21109 Pathé, St Petersburg 1911
Do you remember we sat by the sea Romance (Kochetova) 2-22215 2124k Gramophone, -05
Don Giovanni (Mozart) Finch’han dal vino 3-22955 8638L Gramophone Moscow 30-1-09
Don Giovanni (Mozart) Là ci darem la mano (w. Brun-Kamionska) 21122 Pathé, St Petersburg 1911
Don Giovanni (Mozart) Serenade 21119 Pathé, St Petersburg 1904 and 1911
Don Juan (Napravnik) Serenade 3-22774 7181L Gramophone, Moscow
Ernani (Verdi) O sommo Carlo (w. Pikok, Milova & Dubrovin) 022108 335m Gramophone -08
Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Stzena pered duelyu – Cho zhe Nachinat (w. Davidov) 24388 2833L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1905
Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Eugene Onegin Really, is it the same, Tatiana… Alas, there 2-22798 2964L G&T, -05
Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) I love you 2-22756 2961L G&T, St. Petersburg 1905
Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Really, is it the same, Tatiana… Alas, there is no doubt 2-22798 2964L G&T, St. Petersburg 1905
Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) You wrote to me 10718 Syrena
Faust (Gounod) Avant de quitter ces lieux (w. pf) 21110 Pathé, St Petersburg 1911
Faust (Gounod) Avant de quitter ces lieux G&T 2-22755 2960L
Faust (Gounod) La mort de Valentin (Ecoute-moi bien) 022128 336 Gramophone, 08
Gioconda (Ponchielli) Pescator Affonda 2-22586 1642z G&T, -03