Nicolai Ghiaurov

Ghiaurov encompassed the major Russian parts such as Boris Gudonov, Khan Konchak, Prince Gremin, Ivan Susanin, and Kovanschy, alongside the principal Italian and French characters King Philip, the Devil in both Mefistofele and Faust, Padre Guardiano in Forza, Attila, Fiesco, Silva, and Don Quichotte. Although a true bass, his upper register proved sufficiently robust for a convincing Don Giovanni and even allowed him to deliver the Toreador Song from Carmen with flair. While the bulk of his assignments lay in tragic territory, he earned recognition for Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and for Colline in La Boheme, whose single grave aria arrives only in the final scene amid considerable comic business earlier. These portrayals featured a rich, commanding instrument, genuine dramatic skill, and a commanding stage presence. The voice reached its fullest strength from the late 1950s through the 1970s; by the 1980s it had grown drier, yet he continued to deliver many roles effectively into the 1990s by relinquishing the heaviest parts and depending instead on secure technique together with his command of text and dramatic nuance. As an interpreter he shunned extramusical devices such as sobs or shouts, preferring to shape each character directly from the score and to color individual words with subtle inflections.

Born into modest circumstances, he received parental encouragement to sing from childhood. After his voice changed in adolescence he persisted with musical training, acquiring clarinet, violin, and trombone on borrowed instruments while also pursuing drama, then his intended profession. Military service, during which he played clarinet and led the regimental chorus, led to his discovery as a vocalist; thereafter he trained with Christo Brambarov and subsequently at the Moscow Conservatoire. He attributed his long vocal health to restrained early development—in his initial year of study he confined himself to a single octave of exercises alone. Under Brambarov he absorbed Italian as well as Russian stylistic principles, an uncommon combination among Slavic singers of the period.

His first appearance came as Don Basilio at the Sofia Opera in 1955; two years later he sang Pimen in Boris Godunov at the Bolshoi. Italy heard him for the first time in 1958, and in Faust rather than an Italian work. Covent Garden welcomed him three years afterward, La Scala engaged him as Varlaam in Boris during 1960, and the Metropolitan heard him in 1965; that same year he also performed the title role of Boris Godunov for the first time at the Salzburg Festival. He returned repeatedly to these theaters and appeared regularly as well at the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera—site of his American debut—and numerous additional houses. Beyond the stage he often sang and recorded Russian art songs.

He is married to Italian soprano Mirella Freni and assisted her preparation of Russian roles, notably Tatiana in Eugene Onegin and Lisa in Pique Dame. His discography remains extensive. A 1961 Arkadia recital (Arkadia 807.1) reveals both vocal quality and theatrical imagination; in the Don Giovanni aria “Madamina” he produces some of the most insinuating sounds preserved on disc. Decca’s Grandi Voci anthology (Decca 448 248-2) surveys the breadth of his repertoire. Among complete opera sets, his Mefistofele (Decca 410 175-2), though captured after the voice’s peak, preserves an indelible characterization rich in dark humor. He recorded Boris Godunov twice in major versions: first with von Karajan for Decca, later with Tchakarov for Sony. The earlier account displays the most ample vocal resources; the later one, made two decades afterward, reflects greater dramatic maturity.