-= Pavel Lisitsian =-

[MosJan]

Pavel Lisitsian (born 1911)

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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The Armenian baritone Pavel Gerasimovich Lisitsian was born at Vladikavkaz in Armenia on the 6th of June 1911. Born in a laborer's family, he first worked in a diamond drilling group and later as a welder. He first sang in a church choir, then at age 19 went to Leningrad, to study the cello. He debuted there as an actor in 1932. By then, the quality of his voice was sufficiently evident to justify serious musical studies.

 

Between 1932 and 1935 he attended the Leningrad conservatory and made his debut at the Maly theater. From 1935 to 1937 he appeared at Yerevan in the Spendiarov Company noted in the title-role of the opera Arshak II by Chukadjan. In 1940 he was engaged at the Moscow Bolshoi Opera house as leading baritone, where he remained until his retirement from the stage in 1966. He was awarded the title of "People's artist of the USSR". For his 60'th anniversary he appeared at Leningrad in a quartet with his three children.

 

Pavel Lisitsian as

Amonasro (Aida) 1951

Pavel Lisitsian was one of the few Soviet vocal artists, who became famous outside the Soviet Union. After WWII he performed in some 30 countries, including Italy, at Milan's La Scala, in Sweden, Japan and Austria. He appeared the San Francisco Opera and the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1960 as Amonasro in Aida. Lisitsian possessed an Italian bel-canto style which made him a remarkable performer of the Western repertoire, Di Luna (Trovatore), Escamillo, Rigoletto, Valentin (Faust), Germont as well as in the Russian roles including Venetian Guest (Sadko), War and Peace, Pique Dame, Eugene Onegin. He was well known as a recitalist and left many recordings of Russian and Western art songs. Throughout his career, Lisitsian popularized the art of his native Armenia. There are many who consider Pavel Lisitsian's one of the greatest baritone voices in the post-WWII era.

 

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