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

 

 

Mefistofele (Boito) Son lo spirito 36183 36183 Columbia, St. Petersburg 1907

Mefistofele (Boito) Vous qui faites l’endormie 1-75149 6527-0 Favorite, St. Petersburg 1910

Mephistopheles song of the flea – Once there was a king (Mussorgsky) 45872 45872 Beka, Berlin 1910

Molis, romans Villamov [Pray, Romance] 4-22461 17159 Gramophone, 22-12-12

My mouth is silent (Bleichmann) 1-75258 2056-b- Favorite St. Petersburg

No, No, Do not say (Vilinsky) 1-75277 2054-b- Favorite, St. Petersburg 31-05-1910

Not the autumn drizzle (Russian folk song) 4-22451 16706 Gramophone St. Petersburg 4-10-12

O bitter fate 2601 R.A.O.G, 1905

Oh Fate, My Fate 1-75133 6617-о- Favorite, St. Petersburg 11-02-1909

Oh, if Mother Volga (Cui) 4-22134 14813 Gramophone 20-9-10

Oh, you are my fate (Prisoner’s song , arr. Harteveld) 4-22169 14870 Gramophone St. Petersburg 29-9-10

Pique Dame (Tchaikovsky) Darling maidens (Tomski’s aria) 1-75291 2096-b- Favorite, St. Petersburg 02-06-1910

Polkovodetz [Songs and Dances of Death Field-Marshal Death] (Musorgsky) 022328 2904c, Gramophone 12-11-13

Pray (Villamov) 2-22901 3472L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1905

Prince Igor (Borodin) Song of Vladimir Galitsky 24273 Pathé, St. Petersburg 1909

Requiem (Verdi) Confutatis maledictis 062059 2899c Gramophone, 7-11-13

Rogneda (Serov) Khor strannikov, A3 Serov, s khorom 022361 2966c Gramophone, 28-11-14

Rusalka (Dargomizhsky) Duet Melnika i Knyazya – Zdorovo zyat (w. Alexandrovich) 024070, 024071, 2662c 2673c Gramophone, 16-10-12

Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) Song of the Viking Guest – Against the cruel crags 1-75148 6442-o- Favorite, St. Petersburg 01-02-1909

Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) Song of the Viking Guest – Against the cruel crags 36124 36124 Columbia, St. Petersburg 1907