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

 

 

Demon (Rubinstein) I am he whose voice you heard in the night 4-22369 16517b Gramophone, 6-5-12

Die beiden Grenadiere (Schumann) 1-75097 6443-o- Favorite, St. Petersburg 01-02-1909

Die beiden Grenadiere (Schumann) 12860 Syrena

Die beiden Grenadiere (Schumann) 45870 45870 Beka, Berlin 1910

Disenchantment Op 65 No 2 (Tchiakovsky) 4-22132 14811b Gramophone, St. Petersburg 20-09-1910

Don Carlo (Verdi) Ella giammai m’amo… Dormiro sol, nel manto mio regal 022176, 022177 2047c, 2046c Gramophone 27-9-10

Don Giovanni (Mozart) Serenade B 45879 45879 Parlophone

Don Juan (Napravnik) Serenade 4-22055 6920r Gramophone St. Petersburg -11-09

Ermak (Ballad, with piano) (Dobrovolsky) 022206 2442c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 25-9-11

Ernani (Verdi) O nestchastniy, ya zhil mechtoyu 022172 2031c Gramophone St. Petersburg 20-9-10

Ernani (Verdi) O nestchastniy, ya zhil mechtoyu 45864 Beka

Faust (Gounod) Church scene – Seigneur, daignez permettre (w. Katulskaya) 024074 2740c Gramophone, 20-3-13

Faust (Gounod) Il était temps 2-22308 2374k G&T

Faust (Gounod) Que voulez-vous, messieurs (w. Vitting & Bragin) 024040 2036c Gramophone, 23-9-10

Faust (Gounod) Song of the Golden Calf 1-75150 6528-0 Favorite, St. Petersburg 1910

Faust (Gounod) Vous qui faites l’endormie B 45867 45867 Parlophone

Faust (Gounod) Vous qui faites l’endormie 2-23935 1134r G&T, St. Petersburg 06-1906

Flyes (Greve-Sobolevskaya) 1-75101 6447-o- Favorite, St. Petersburg 01-02-1909

Flyes (Greve-Sobolevskaya) 45869 45869 Beka, Berlin 1910

Goodnight, my star, forgive me, Tobolsk convict’s song (arr Harteveld) 4-22171 14872 Gramophone, 29-9-10