Understanding the history of Russian musical theater is impossible without considering the issue of which operas Chaliapin performed in the main parts. This outstanding singer had a huge impact on the development of not only domestic but also world culture. It is difficult to overestimate his contribution to the formation of the national opera art. His phenomenal success abroad contributed to the dissemination and popularization of not only Russian classical music, but also folk, folklore songs.
Some biography facts
Fedor Ivanovich Chaliapin was born in Kazan in 1873. The future singer came from a simple peasant family. He graduated from the local parish school, since childhood he sang in the church choir. However, due to the difficult financial situation, he studied for some time in craftsmanship. After some time, the young man entered the Arsk school. The beginning of his creative career was connected with joining the Serebryakov troupe, where at first he performed small parts, participating in choral singing.
In 1890, Fedor Ivanovich Chaliapin left for Ufa, where he entered the operetta troupe. Here he began to perform solo parts. Four years later he moved to Moscow, and then to the capital of the empire, where he was admitted to the main theater. Here he played the roles of both foreign and domestic repertoire. The talent of the young singer immediately attracted the attention of not only the general public, but also critics. However, despite the growing popularity, Chaliapin felt somewhat constrained: he lacked freedom and personal initiative.
Carier start
A turning point in the singerās life occurred after he met the famous Russian millionaire and philanthropist S. Mamontov. He met with him for the first time in a search for talent and recruited the best singers, musicians and artists into his troupe. In this city, Chaliapinās performances began with his performance of the title part of Ivan Susanin in M. Glinkaās opera Life for the Tsar. The performance was a great success and played a crucial role in the artistās career, since it was in this production that his huge talent was revealed precisely as a performer of Russian classical music, which he perfectly felt and understood.
Then Savva Ivanovich invited the singer to his private troupe. He wanted to create a Russian national musical theater, and therefore he was especially careful to attract the most talented artists.
The heyday of creativity
The Mammoth Opera played an outstanding role in Russian culture. The fact is that on this private stage there were staged operas that did not go on in state theaters. For example, it was here that the premiere of a new work by Rimsky-Korsakov āMozart and Salieriā took place. The role of the latter was brilliantly played by Chaliapin. In general, this new theater was called upon to popularize the music of the representatives of the Big Group. And it was in this repertoire that the singer's talent was revealed to the maximum.
In order to understand how much the roles of this outstanding performer have changed, it is enough to simply list in which operas Chaliapin performed the main roles. He began to sing a large Russian opera: he was attracted by the strong, powerful and dramatic music of composers who wrote their works on historical, epic and fairy-tale themes. The singer traditionally liked traditional folk motifs, and paintings from ancient Russian history attracted with their picturesqueness and depth. It was during this period of his work (1896-1899) that he embodied a number of outstanding images on the stage. One of his most significant works of this stage was the role of Ivan the Terrible in the work of Rimsky-Korsakov.
Historical subjects in creativity
The opera Pskovityanka is based on a historical episode and is distinguished by a sharp and dynamic plot and, at the same time, psychological depth of the image of the king and the inhabitants of the city. The music of this work was ideally suited for the vocal and artistic possibilities of the singer. In the role of this ruler, he was very convincing and expressive, so this work became one of the most significant in his career. Subsequently, he even starred in the film staged for this work. However, since the singer did not perceive the independent value of the cinema, he almost did not appear, and his first film did not deserve the recognition of critics.
Performance Features
For an objective assessment of the singerās work, it is necessary to indicate in which operas Chaliapin performed the main parts. It is worth noting that there are a lot of them. The opera Pskovityanka became one of the most significant in his career. However, he became famous in several other outstanding productions. During this period, he considered the Russian opera to be his main repertoire, which he especially appreciated, and attached great importance to it in the development of the world musical theater. Contemporaries noted that the singerās popularity was explained not only by his amazing vocal abilities, but also by his artistry, ability to get used to the role and transmit in his voice all the smallest shades of intonation.
Critics noticed that he perfectly felt the musical language of the performed works. In addition, Chaliapin was an excellent theater artist, that is, with the help of facial expressions and gestures, he conveyed all the psychological features of the depicted character. The singer had a talent for reincarnation. For example, he could play several roles in one performance. This skill was especially famous for Fedor Chaliapin.
āBoris Godunovā is an opera in which he sang the parts of the king and monk Pimen. His performance was particularly expressive, since for each role he knew how to find a new musical language. Mussorgsky was his favorite composer.
Episodes
Chaliapin's voice is a high bass. And although he was famous for performing primarily dramatic parts, nevertheless, he had a good sense of humor, and as a great artist he played comedic roles perfectly, for example, the role of Don Basilio in the opera The Barber of Seville.
His talent was multifaceted: he sang beautifully in episodic parts, as, for example, in Glinka's opera. In addition to playing the main role in the play āLife for the Tsar,ā he played the role of one of the heroes in his other work. This small mise-en-scene was positively noted by critics who said that the artist was able to amazingly accurately convey the image of the boastful warrior.
Another small but significant role is the party of the Varangian guest, which became the singer's calling card, and the image of the miller from another fairy-tale opera. Nevertheless, the basis of his repertoire continued to be serious dramatic parties. Here, the work in the opera Mozart and Salieri should be singled out separately. This work is chamber and differs from those performances in which he previously participated. Nevertheless, Chaliapin proved himself as a great artist here, having perfectly performed the bass part.
In the early decades of the 20th century
On the eve of the first Russian revolution, the singer was already very popular. At this time, he sings songs from folk songwriting, which received a special sound in his performance. The song āDubinushkaā, which gave workers a revolutionary sound, gained particular fame. After the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917, Chaliapin became the de facto leader of the Mariinsky Theater with the title of People's Artist of the Republic. However, due to frequent overseas tours and donations to children of immigrants, he was suspected of sympathy for the monarchy. Since 1922, the singer lived and toured abroad, for which he was deprived of the title of Peopleās Artist.
Emigration
In the 1920s and 1930s, the singer toured extensively, speaking not only with the domestic but also with the foreign repertoire. In characterizing this period of his work, it should be indicated in which operas Chaliapin performed the main parts. So, especially for him, the French composer J. Massenet wrote the opera Don Quixote. The singer played this role and starred in the film of the same name.
Chaliapin died in 1938 from a serious illness, was buried in France, but then his ashes were transported to our country. In 1991, he was posthumously returned the title of People's Artist.