Description

ALEXANDER DAVIDOV (ALEXANDER DAVIDOFF) (POLTAVA, 25 MARCH, 1872 – MOSCOW, 28 JUNE, 1944)

 

 

 

 

His real name was Israel Levenson.

His early vocal training began in church choirs, and he later studied under the esteemed professor Camillo Everardi in St. Petersburg from 1890 to 1892.

Career Highlights:

Debut: Davidov made his stage debut in 1889 at Ekaterinoslav in G. Verdi’s La Traviata.

Early Career: He toured extensively with various opera and operetta companies, performing in Kharkov, Nizhny-Novgorod, and other provincial centers.

Odessa Opera and Mamantov’s Company: He joined the Odessa Opera and, in 1896, became a member of Mamantov’s private opera company in Moscow.

Imperial Opera: In 1900, he was engaged by the Imperial Opera in St. Petersburg (Mariinsky Theatre). He also gained notable success with guest performances in Paris.

Mariinsky Theatre: Davidov remained with the Mariinsky Theatre until 1914. His career was affected by increasing deafness, which limited his performances after 1912.

Later Career: From 1914 to 1924, he was active as a concert singer. He lived abroad for some years and briefly worked as a regisseur with Russian opera companies in Paris.

Return to Russia: He returned to Russia in 1935 and, from 1936 until his death in 1944, taught at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad.

Legacy: Despite his deafness, Davidov made some electrical recordings in Paris in the late 1920s, including self-composed songs. He is remembered as one of the greatest Russian tenors of his time, known for his versatility in both lyrical and dramatic roles.

Death: He passed away in 1944.

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Leave me! (Gypsy song) (A. D. Davidov) 22815 295z G&T, St. Petersburg 1901

Nero (Rubinstein) Oh sadness and longing 36032 E1037 Columbia, St. Petersburg 1907

Night (Why do I love thee, night) (op 60 n° 9) (Tchaikovsky) 22811 471x G&T, St. Petersburg 1901

On the ship (Rimsky-Korsakov) 3-22858 7762L Gramophone, St Petersburg 1908-09

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) O Colombina 1-75127 6605-0 Favorite

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Smeisya Payatz (Vesti la giubba) 2-22211 2101k G&T, St Petersburg 1905

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Smeisya Payatz (Vesti la giubba) E1037 36040 Columbia, St. Petersburg 1907

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Vesti la giubba 1-75121 6558-0 Favorite

Pescatori di perle (Bizet) Mi par d’udire ancora 22813 474x G&T, St. Petersburg 1901

Pikovaya Dama (Tchaikovsky) Prosti, nebesnoe sozdane 2-22238 2112k G&T, St Petersburg 1905

The donkey and the nightingale, Fable (Rubinstein) 22809 469x G&T, St. Petersburg 1901

The evening’s golden clounds, Romance (Dargomyzhsky) (w. Zbrueva & Kastorsky) 024034 420s Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1909

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) Forgive me, bright celestial vision 1-75146 Favorite, St.-Petersburg 28-01-1909

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) Forgive me, bright celestial vision 22460 2920G G&T, St. Petersburg 1901

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) Forgive me, bright celestial vision X-3-62014 Zonophone, St Petersburg 1905

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) Forgive me, bright celestial vision X-3-62016 Zonophone, St Petersburg 1906

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) What is our life 22515 256G G&T, Moscow 1901

Traviata (Verdi) Parigi, o cara (w. Michailova) 24394 2968L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1905

Traviata (Verdi) Un dì felice (w. Michailova) 24086 336z G&T, St. Petersburg 1902

Trovatore (Verdi) Mal reggendo (w. Zbrujeva) 2-24130 14891b St. Petersburg, 03-10-1910