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

 

 

Dobrynya Nikitich (Grechaninov) The first song of Alyosha Popovich – Don’t grieve, beauty 4-22868 18810b Gramophone, St. Petersburg 03-12-1914

Dubrovskiy (Napravnik) O give me oblivion 022306 2680 ½c Gramophone, 19-10-12

Elisir d’amore (Donizetti) Una furtiva lagrima 052373 02451½v Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-29

Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) How far, how far 2-022004x Cc305-2 HMV, London 1921-06-23

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) I love you Olga 022329 2855c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1914-10-13

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Lensky’s aria – In Your House 022299 2686c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 21-10-1912

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Whither, whither have you gone 022154 430s Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1909

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Whither, whither have you gone P 53401 2-21608 Parlophon Berlin, 1929

Ey, ukhnem! (Song of the Volga Boatmen) E. 17048-B 2-21611 Parlophon, Berlin 13-11-1929

Faust (Gounod) Salut demeure 022160 2060c Gramophone, St Petersburg 12-10-10

Favorita (Donizetti) Spirto gentil 052296 149af Gramophone, St Petersburg 1910-11-23

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Plus blanche que la blanche ermine 022338 2857c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1915-10-13

I longed to be with you (Grechaninov) 4-22822 17970 1-2 b Gramophone, 20. 10. 1913

Il Tabarro (Puccini) Hai ben raggione 7-52179 Bb304-1 HMV, London 1921-06-23

Iris (Mascagni) Serenata – Apri la tua finestra 2-52854 17827 12 b Gramophone, St. Petersburg 21-08-1913

Lilla (Rachmaninoff) DA 752e Bb 6597 HMV, London 1925