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

 

 

Si vous l’aviez compris (Denza) 28062 Pathé, St. Petersburg 1911-1912

Simone Boccanegra (Verdi) Simone’s Aria 2-52561 4807L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 11-1906

Sonnambula (Bellini) Vi ravviso, o luoghi ameni 4-22318 15865 Gramophone St. Petersburg 20-9-11

Stabat Mater (Rossini) Pro peccatis 022332 2898c Gramophone St. Petersburg 7-11-13

Thais (Thomas) Duo de la source – Baigne d’eau (w. Katulskaya) 2-24218 17242 Gramophone, St. Petersburg 15-3-13

The anchor (Dobrovolsky) 4-22430 16707 Gramophone St. Petersburg 4-10-12

The execution (Gaiser) 22238 2440c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 25-09-1911

The midnight review (Glinka) 4-22366 16515 Gramophone St. Petersburg 6-5-12

The mountain tops (Wanderers Nachtlied (Rubinstein) (w. Katulskaya) 2-24226 17226b Gramophone, 14-3-13

The Night 1-75290 2055-b- Favorite, St. Petersburg 31-05-1910

The Oak Cudgel 1-75134 6618-о- Favorite, St. Petersburg 11-02-1909

The Sailors (Villebois) (w. Vitting) 2-24186 16682½b Gramophone, St. Petersburg 01-10-1912

The song of runner 1-75135 6619-o- Favorite, St. Petersburg 11-02-1909

The two giants (Stolypin) 4-22365 16514 Gramophone, St. Petersburg 6-5-12

These days are past (de Bove) 4-22138 14818b Gramophone, St. Petersburg 23-9-10

Those days are gone (de Beauvais) 1-75273 2050-b- Favorite, St. Petersburg 31-05-1910

Tuchi cherniye, romans Romberg [Black clouds, Romance] 4-22462 17160 Gramophone, 22-12-12

Valkiria (Wagner) Proshanie Votana 022174 2032c Gramophone St. Petersburg 20-9-10

Why was I born (Convict’s song) (arr. Harteveld) 4-22137 14872b Gramophone 23-9-10

Why, I am a boy was born 1-75119 6556-0- Favorite, St. Petersburg 01-02-1909