Description

LEV SIBIRYAKOV (LEOPOLDO SPIVACCHINI) (SPIVAK LEIB) (POLONNOE, 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

 

 

Guslar (Rechkunov) 36123 36123 Columbia, Saint Petersburg 1906

He goes tired 1-75118 6555-0- Favorite, St. Petersburg 01-02-1909

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Tu m’as compris, adieu! (w. Bronskaja) 024098 285af Gramophone, St Petersburg 1914-01-18

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Piff, paff, piff, paff 36184 36184-1X Columbia

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Piff, paff, piff, paff 45876 45876 Beka, Berlin 1910

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Seigneur, rempart et seul soutien 45868 45868 Beka, Berlin 1910

In the wild north (Dargomyzhsky) (w. Michailova & Bolshakov) 24400 3458L G&T, St. Petersburg 1905

Judith (Serov) Cease your grumbling 022319 2730c Gramophone St. Petersburg 15-3-13

Lakmé (Delibes) Stances – Lakmé, ton doux regard 35614 35614-1-5 Columbia

Lakmé (Delibes) Stances – Lakmé, ton doux regard with orchestra 45865 45865 Beka

Life for the Tsar (Glinka) Our hearts rejoice… Oh God, love our Tsar (w. Bolshakov, Makarova and Michailova) 24422 3454L Gramophone

Life for the Tsar (Glinka) Quartet – The rose which blooms in the garden (w. Nikitina, Labinskij & Michailova) 024030 422s St. Petersburg, Gramophone 11-1909

Life for the Tsar (Glinka) The rose which blooms (w. Nikitina, Labinskij & Michailova) 2-24157 7839L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1908

Life for the Tsar (Glinka) Trio, pt 1 Scene & Trio, pt 2 (w. Alexandrovich & chorus) 024084 2888c, 024085, 2910½c Gramophone, St Petersburg 1913-11-05, 14

Life for the Tsar (Glinka) We must prepare (w. Nikitina, Labinsky & Michailova) 2-24158 7841L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1908

Lohengrin (Wagner) Molitva korolya 022175 2033c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 20-9-10

Mefistofele (Boito) Ave Signor 022149 427s Gramophone, St. Petersburg 11-1909

Mefistofele (Boito) Ecco il mondo 3-22887 8026L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1908

Mefistofele (Boito) Se tu mi doni un ora (w. Vitting) 024041 2037c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1910

Mefistofele (Boito) Son lo spirito 3-22835 7919L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1908