Description

LEV SIBIRYAKOV (LEOPOLDO SPIVACCHINI) (SPIVAK LEIB) (POLONNE, PROVINCE OF KHMELNITSKAYA, UKRAINE, 1869 – WARSAW, POLAND, 1938)

 

 

 

 

Spivak Leib, known by his stage name Leopoldo Spivacchini, was an opera singer born in Polonne, Ukraine. He married the daughter of a theatrical figure named Sibiryakov, adopting the surname as his stage name. He initially studied with Fiorini in Odessa, where he made his opera debut. Later, he traveled to Italy to further his training under Cesare Rossi.

In 1895, he made his Italian debut, and soon after, at the invitation of the renowned conductor Arturo Toscanini, he began performing at La Scala in Milan, where he enjoyed great success from 1897 to 1900. Spivacchini also sang at other prestigious Italian opera houses, including the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

Following his success in Italy, Spivacchini appeared in various cities, including Tbilisi, Kharkov, Kiev, and Baku. From 1902 to 1904 and again from 1909 to 1921, he was a soloist at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. He also sang at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow from 1902 to 1903.

His career included guest performances in Riga (1910), Boston (1910-11), London at Covent Garden (1911), Berlin (1912), Paris (1921), Brussels (1938), and Monte Carlo (1932). After 1921, Spivacchini settled in Poland, where he taught at the Warsaw Conservatory.

Spivacchini was renowned for his powerful, well-rounded voice with a soft timbre, and he was particularly admired for his mastery of the mezza-voce technique. His voice was often compared to the sound of a violoncello, praised for its rich and resonant quality across all registers.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1896 Biella Teatro Sociale Favorita (Baldassarre)

1896 Biella  Teatro Sociale Linda di Chamounix  (Prefetto)

1896 L’Aquila  Teatro Comunale Favorita (Baldassarre)

1896 Rieti  Teatro Vespasiano Favorita (Baldassarre)

1897 Milano La Scala Don Carlo (il Grande Inquisitore, un frate)

1897 Lucca Teatro del Giglio Aida

1897 Barcelona Liceu Samson et Dalila

1897 Barcelona Liceu Hamlet

1898 Cremona  Politeama Verdi Boheme (Colline)

1898 Cremona  Politeama Mefistofele (Mefistofele)

1899 Parma Teatro Regio Mefistofele (Mefistofele)

1899 Milan La Scala Sigfrido (Fafner)

1900 Milan La Scala Lohengrin (Araldo)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

A heavy stone lies on my heart (Dargomizhsky) (w. Okuneva) 28076 Pathé, St. Petersburg 1911-1912

A heavy stone lies on my heart (Dargomizhsky) (w. Okuneva) 45883 45883 Beka, Berlin 1910

A Life for the Tzar (Glinka) 1-75096 6441-o- Favorite, St. Petersburg 01-02-1909

A word of farewell (Slonov) 45871 45871 Beka, Berlin 1910

Ach thou, dear night 35619 35619 Columbia, Saint Petersburg 1906

Askold’s Tomb (Verstovsky) In olden days our forefathers lived 4-22139 14819 Gramophone 23-9-10

Asylum (Schubert) 1-75103 6449-o Favorite, St. Petersburg 01-02-1909

At the gates of Eden a tende rangel (Ehrlich) 4-22136 14816 Gramophone 23-9-10

Aufenthalt (Schubert) 4-22431 16708 Gramophone St. Petersburg 4-10-12

Bacchic song (Glazunov) 4-22419 16684b Gramophone St. Petersburg 1-10-12

Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) La callunia 1-75285 2097-b- Favorite, St. Petersburg

Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) La callunia 3-22502 4803L G&T, St. Petersburg 11-1906

Bohème (Puccini) Colline’s aria – Vecchia zimarra Gramophone St. Petersburg 4-22210 14805 19-9-10

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) Ariya Pimena, A1 – Eshche odno poslednie skazane 022327 2881c Gramophone, 28-10-13

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) Duet Marini i Ronconi, 1-ya chast, 2-ya chast 024090, 024091, 2905c, 2906c Gramophone, 12-11-13

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) In the town of Kazan 4-22128 14804 Gramophone St. Petersburg 19-9-10

Christ is risen (Rachmaninoff) 1-75259 2063-b- Favorite, St. Petersburg

Crucifix (Faure) Romance (w. Okuneva) 45882 45882 Beka, Berlin 1910

Demon (Rubinstein) Accursed world 4-22368 16516b Gramophone St. Petersburg 6-5-12

Demon (Rubinstein) I am he whose voice you heard 4-22452 16739 Gramophone, 7-10-12