List of Russian opera singers

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Feodor Chaliapin as Boris Godunov in the opera of the same name by Modest Mussorgsky Chaliapin Godunov 1912.jpg
Feodor Chaliapin as Boris Godunov in the opera of the same name by Modest Mussorgsky

This is a list of opera singers from Russian Federation, Soviet Union and Russian Empire including both ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities. This list includes those, who were born in the Russian Federation/Soviet Union/Russian Empire but later emigrated, and those, who were born elsewhere but immigrated to the country and performed there for a long time.

Contents

Opera came to Russia in the 18th century. At first there were mostly Italian language operas presented by Italian opera troupes. Later some foreign composers serving to the Russian Imperial Court began to write Russian-language operas, while some Russian composers were involved into writing of the operas in Italian and French. Only at the beginning of the 1770s the first modest attempts of the composers of Russian origin to compose operas to the Russian librettos were made. The 19th century was the golden age of Russian opera, with such prominent composers as Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Their traditions were carried on to the 20th century by Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich. Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres continue to be the main opera and ballet scenes of Russia and one of the most prominent in the world.

A number of Russian opera singers rose to fame already in the 18th century, but it was the late 19th and the 20th centuries that saw the appearance of many world-renown, well-remembered and still popular soloists, including Leonid Sobinov, Galina Vishnevskaya and, of course, Feodor Chaliapin, the greatest bass of all time.[ citation needed ] Contemporary Russia is represented at the world scene with such singers as Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Anna Netrebko and Alexander Anisimov.

Alphabetical list

A

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Ildar Abdrazakov
Ğäziz Älmöxämmädev
Alexander Anisimov
Irina Arkhipova
Olga Averino
Arnold Azrikan

B

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Nikolay Baskov
Olga Borodina

C

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Feodor Chaliapin's autographed photo (1908).jpg Feodor Chaliapin
(1873–1938)
Russian Empire
France

bass
The most famous Russian opera singer of the 20th century. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.

Mephistopheles in Gounod's Faust , Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov , Boito's Mefistofele , Ivan the Terrible in Rimsky-Korsakov's The Maid of Pskov , Massenet's Don Quichotte, Philip II in Verdi's Don Carlos , Glinka's Ivan Susanin, Khan Konchak in Borodin's Prince Igor

Chaliapin as Boito's Mefistofele, 1916 Chaliapin F. (Shaliapin F. I.) 1916 as "Mefistofele".jpg
Chaliapin as Boito's Mefistofele, 1916

D

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Dilyara Idrisova

F

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Nikolay and Medea Figner

G

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Hibla Gerzmava
Yuri Aleksandrovich Gulyayev

H

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Hvorostovsky (cropped).jpeg Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Helena Holl

K

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Victoria KarasyovaEnded her career in 2009 due to health problems
Ljubov Kazarnovskaya
Alisa Kolosova
Bogomir Korsov
Praskovia Kovalyova-Zhemchugova
Ivan Kozlovsky
Maria Nikolaevna Kuznetsova

L

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Sergej Larin
Yelizaveta Lavrovskaya
Sergei Lemeshev
Julia Lezhneva

M

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Gavrilo Martsenkovich
Artyom Melikhov
Ivan Melnikov

N

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Yevgeny Nesterenko
Anna Netrebko
Antonina Nezhdanova

O

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Elena Obraztsova

P

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Osip Petrov
Vyacheslav Polozov
Marina Poplavskaya

R

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Mark Reizen
Nadezhda Repina
Vladimir Rosing

S

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Sara Sadíqova
Boris Shtokolov
Tamara Sinyavskaya
Leonid Sobinov
Pyotr Slovtsov
Fyodor Stravinsky

V

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Georgi Pavlovich Vinogradov
Galina Vishnevskaya

Y

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Ivan Yershov
Sergei Yudin

Z

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Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel
Elena Zoubareva

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