Mikhail Pavlovich Fish is a singer whose fate is largely unusual. Great talent and desire to sing allowed an unknown guy from Poland, who, by the will of fate, ended up in the Soviet Union, to become a favorite performer for many listeners. His voice was recognized by the entire population of the USSR. Songs of Mikhail Pisces sounded in such films as Carnival Night, Quiet Flows the Don, Last Inch. In addition, the singer was appreciated for the classical repertoire, the performance of Russian romances and old French songs.
Biography
Mikhail Ryba was born in Warsaw 02.16.1923. In 1939, during the capture of Poland by German troops, he miraculously escaped and crossed the border into the USSR. Mikhail was 16 years old, and he did not know a word in Russian. But a year later he entered the Moscow Conservatory. During the war, the singer drove along the fronts with artistic teams, gave more than a thousand concerts at the forefront.
After 1945 he worked at the Bolshoi Theater and at the All-Union Radio. For many decades, he was a soloist of the State Philharmonic.
Vote
Professional musicians and ordinary listeners all admired the voice of Mikhail Pisces. It really was special: flexible, with a wide range, surprisingly virtuoso, agile and soft at the same time. For a bass voice, these are very rare qualities. Even the most difficult parties, Michael always sang perfectly.
The uniqueness lies also in the fact that Fish had the ability to extract the lowest singing sounds. His voice is called bass profundo, the feature is velvety and a rare depth of sound. The audience was amazed at how confident the singer was in possession of all the sound possibilities and colors of his timbre.
Repertoire
Mikhail Rybka performed works of various genres: from the songs of Schumann and Schubert to Negro spirituals. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the singer had a great craving for discovery, he always learned something new. Famous conductors and composers such as Shostakovich, Khrennikov, Kabalevsky, Gauk, Samosud collaborated with him.
The performance of music for Soviet films also connects with the artist’s remarkable names. For example, the famous “Song of Ben” from the tape “The Last Inch” was written by Mikhail’s friend, composer M. Weinberg, who also once found salvation in the USSR, having escaped from Warsaw from the invaders.
Not everyone knows that the voice of the Laver from Moydodyr, familiar to all Soviet children, is also the voice of Mikhail Pisces. When recording music for the cartoon, the singer was accompanied by the State Symphony Orchestra conducted by A. uraitis.
Memory
Fish toured the country a lot, and in all corners of the Union he was greeted with warmth and love. He himself was such a very kind and charming man, immensely respecting the people listening to him.
Mikhail died on October 21, 1983 in the Russian capital, and was buried in the Kuntsevo cemetery. During his lifetime, the singer often performed with his son, a pianist. Today, Mikhail Ryba, Jr. lives in Moscow and does everything to preserve his father’s memory: he organizes exhibitions, releases disks, performs on radio and television. Thanks to this, the life of the singer with a unique bass voice continues.