Description

DMITRI SMIRNOV (MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 19 NOVEMBER, 1882 – RIGA, LATVIA, 27 APRIL, 1944)

 

 

 

 

Smirnov sang in his youth in church choirs. As a young law student, he sang with an untrained voice in a semi-professional group that actually produced operas from time to time. This led him to undertake serious vocal studies with Madame Pavlovskaja, and to take part in a competition at the Bolshoi in 1904, as a result of which he was given a two-year contract. He made his debut as Bayan, the Bard, in Glinka’s Ruslan and Ljudmila and continued his career singing Jontek in Halka, the Duke, Alfredo, Faust, Prince Sinodal (The Demon) Lensky in Eugene Onegin and, on 11 January 1906, created the role of Dante in Rachmaninov’s Francesca da Rimini, with Nezhdanova and Baklanov and with the composer conducting. He made his first appearance at the Mariinsky in a guest performance as the Duke in Rigoletto, and in the autumn of the same year joined a group of Russian conductor-composers: Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov and Glazounov, the pianist, Josef Hoffmann, and singers like Felia Litvinne and Chaliapin, who gave concerts in Paris, organized by Serge Diaghilev, presenting Russian Music “through the ages”. The following year, he again joined the Diaghilev company in Paris, and sang the false Dmitry in Boris Godunov at the Opera on 19 May 1908, with Chaliapin, Alchevsky, who sang Shuisky, Kastorsky (Pimen), Sharonov (Varlaam), Mme Ermolenko-Juzhina (Marina) and others. He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, on 30 December 1910, as the Duke in Rigoletto, but his success there was limited and he remained for little more than a month. He was a member of the Mariinsky troupe from 1910 to 1917, with guest appearances in three continents, including a series of performances of Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night organized by Sir Thomas Beecham in the summer of 1914 at the Drury Lane Theatre, London. After 1919 he sang widely in Europe and, between 1926 and 1930, his concert tours took him on several occasions into the Soviet Union. His last years were spent chiefly in teaching.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1910  Montevideo  Teatro Solis Rigoletto (Duca)

1910 Montevideo  Teatro Solis Boheme (Rodolfo)

1910  Montevideo  Teatro Solis Mefistofele (Faust)

1910 Buenos Ayres  Teatro dell’Opera Mefistofele (Faust)

1910 New York  Teatro Metropolitan Rigoletto (Duca)

1910  New York  Teatro Metropolitan Boheme (Rodolfo)

1911  New York  Teatro Metropolitan Boheme (Rodolfo)

1912  Madrid  Teatro Reale Mefistofele (Faust)

1912 New York  Teatro Metropolitan Rigoletto (Duca)

1912 New York  Teatro Metropolitan Boheme (Rodolfo)

1914 San Pietroburgo  Narowni Doma Boheme (Rodolfo)

1920 Montecarlo  Grand Theatre Tosca (Cavaradossi)

1921  Montecarlo  Grand Theatre Boheme (Rodolfo)

1922  Roma  Teatro Costanzi Boheme (Rodolfo)

1926 Parigi  Champs Elysees Rigoletto (Duca)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Aleko (Rachmaninoff) Romance of the young gipsy 022219 2476c Gramophone, 9-10-11

Aleko (Rachmaninoff) Young Gypsy’s romance – Look under the devious vault of heaven 022248 2645c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1912

At my window (Rachmaninoff) 4-22400 17233 u Gramophone, 28. 5. 1912

At my window (Rachmaninoff) B. 23400-II 37956 Parlophon Berlin, 15-10-1929

Ay, ay, ay (Freire) P 53400 2-21609 Parlophon Berlin, 1929

Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Se il mio nome 052410 2846c Gramophone, St Petersburg 1913-08-21

Bohème (Puccini) Che gelida manina  052409 2843c Gramophone, St Petersburg 1913-08-21

Boheme (Puccini) Che gelida manina 022296  2679c Gramophone, 19-10-12

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) Fountain duet – Oh, Tzarevich, I implore you (w. M. Davidov) 2-024000 Cc3335 HMV, London 21-08-1923

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) Yet one more tale, the last… Same dream (part 1) (w. Kaidanov) 2-024001 CP260 Gramophone, 24-06-1924

Boris Godunov (Mussorgsky) Yet one more tale, the last… Same dream (part 2) (w. Kaidanov) 2-024002 CP261 Gramophone, 24-06-1924

Captivated by the rose, the nightingale, Oriental romance (Rimsky-Korsakov) 4-22670 17972 b Gramophone, 20. 10. 1913

Carmen (Bizet) La fleur 022312 2689c Gramophone, 21-10-12

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Viva il vino spumeggiante 2-52850 17823b Gramophone, St Petersburg 1913-08-19

Cradle song Op. 1 No. 5 (Grechaninov) 4-22401 17234u Gramophone, Paris 28-5-1912

Demon (Rubinstein) On desire’s soft fleeting wing 022218  2475c Gramophone, 9-10-11

Dobrinya Nikitich (Grechaninov) Flowers are blooming 7-22008 Bb 88-1 unpub. Gramophone, 04. 7. 1923