Description

OSCAR KAMIONSKY (KIEV, 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

Giulia (Denza) 22896 612x G&T Tiflis, 15-02-1902
Giulia (Denza) 52023 1633z G&T, St Petersburg 1903/1904
Herbstlied (Mendelssohn) (w. Brun-Kamionska) 7045 Beka St. Petersburg, 1906
I bless you, forests (Tchaikovsky) 3-22948 8650L Gramophone Moscow 1-2-09
I cannot dispel my greif (Schmidthof) 3-22944 8684L Gramophone, Moscow 01-02-1909
I Cannot Dispel My Greif 3-22944 8646L Gramophone Moscow, 01-02-1909
I won´t tell you, romance (O. de Beauvais) 222265 5005ae Gramophone Kiev, 13-09-1913
Jocelyn (Godard) Berceuse 2-22740 2830L Gramophone St. Petersburg 1905
Jocelyn (Godard) Berceuse 21114 Pathé, St Petersburg 1911
La Spagnola 10704 Sirena, 1911
La Spagnola, neapolitan song (Dichiar) 1-35529R 10538-о Favorite Kiev, 02-02-1911
Little one, may God’s mercy be with you, Romance (Laskhalov) 3-22771 7178L Gramophone, Moscow 1908
Love (Wrangel) 3-22729 6622L Gramophone, Moscow 1908
M’ama non m’ama (Mascagni) 22971 2088B Berliner, 15-2-02
Mattinata (Leoncavallo) 3-22946 8648L Gramophone Moscow, 01-02-1909
Musica Prohibita (Gastaldon) 2-22719 2802L G&T, -05
My lips are silent, romance (Bleikhman) 22107 1087A Berliner, St. Petersburg 23-3-1900
My lips are silent, Romance (Bleikhman) 22974 2091g Gramophone, 15-2-02
Nero (Rubinstein) Vindex’s Epithalamium 14032 Anker
Night (Tchaikovsky) 3-22918 8641L Gramophone, Moscow 01-02-1909