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

 

 

Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) Song of the Indian guest 2-21610 Parlophon, Berlin 1929

Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) Song of the Indian guest 022215 2472c Gramophone, 9-10-11

She was thine (Grechaninov) 4-22399 17232u Gramophone, Paris 28-05-1912

Snow Maiden (Rimsky-Korsakov) Mighty Nature, full of wonders 7-22019 DA617 Gramophone, St Petersburg 1912-6-24

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) Herman‘s aria, A3 – What is our life 7-22014 Bb 3336-1 Gramophone, 21. 8. 1923

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky) Herman’s aria, A1 – Forgive me, Divinity 7-22015 Bb 3337-2 Gramophone, 21. 8. 1923

Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stelle 052269 429½s Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1909-11

Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stelle 052372 02450v Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-29

Tosca (Puccini) Recondita armonia RA 207700 Ro 1185 Odeon, Berlin 1930

Tranquillity (The leaves on the trees do not move) (Kashevarov) 022241 2546c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 20-11-1911

Traviata (Verdi) De’ miei bollenti spiriti 022158  2062c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1913-08-19

Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me réveiller 7-32047 Bb98-2 HMV, London 1921-04-26

Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me réveiller 022190 2057c Gramophone, St. Petersburg 12-10-1910

Why is my heart (Mussorgsky) 2-032081 Cc4720 HMV, London 12-06-1924

You don’t love me anymore (Tosti) B. 23400-I 37955 Parlophon, Berlin 15-10-1929

Zabava Putyatishna (Ivanov) Solovay Budimirovich’s serenade – All is silent in your garden 4-22619 17971b Gramophone, St. Petersburg 20-10-1913