khankonchak's video: Lev Sibiriakov- Pro Peccatis from Rossini s Stabat Mater

Lev Sibiriakov (1869-1942) It has been my decision thus far to avoid posting acoustic-era records on my channel, as I feel there are several Youtube contributors who cover the period and many of its artists quite thoroughly. However, I find it necessary to venture into pre-electrical territory here in order to add a singer who has yet to be represented in this forum: the great Jewish bass from St. Petersburg, Lev Sibiriakov. As a widely acclaimed contemporary of Chaliapin and one of the grandest voices to emerge from Imperial Russia, his omission from Youtube is both glaring and inexplicable. Born in 1869, Sibiriakov's involvement in music started early, and as a boy he sang in a synagogue choir. He travelled to Milan in his late teens to study with Lauro Rossi and, upon his return to Russia, began appearing in provincial opera houses throughout the country, including those of Baku, Kiev, Kharkov, and Tbilisi. In 1895 he was finally accepted by the Mariinsky Theater in his native St. Petersburg, and he remained a regular there until the Bolshevik Revolution caused his departure 22 years later. Sibiriakov was also one of few singers of Imperial Russia who performed abroad with some regularity, appearing in Italy, Boston (1910), Covent Garden (1911), and Berlin (1912). After 1917 he settled in Antwerp, where he continued his career and became a noted teacher. Sibiriakov also made a late debut in Monte Carlo at age 63, taking on the role of Baldassare in "La Favorita" (opposite Lauri-Volpi). His last stage performance, as Pimen, came in 1938. And what of the voice? "Imposing" is a word that has been rather overused when it comes to describing singers, yet I can scarcely think of a better adjective to convey the instrument's grandeur. Unlike Chaliapin, Sibiriakov's voice was a yawning, wonderfully inky operatic basso profondo- rich and powerful, with spot-on intonation and flawlessly equalized registers. Indeed, upon hearing it, one gets the impression of having encountered a block of polished granite, burnished and massive. Sibiriakov's manner is straightforward but never vacuous; dignified but never dull. In contrast to Chaliapin's extroversion and histrionics, he comes across as much more even-tempered. And despite my admiration for Chaliapin's art, on a purely vocal basis I prefer Sibiriakov for regular listening, given my liking for profondo voices (sacrilege, I know ;). The recording here, 'Pro Peccatis' from Rossini's "Stabat Mater", was made in 1913 (a Gramophone record) and shows Sibiriakov in majestic voice, with a splendidly ringing top- no problems with the taxing tessitura here. Those who think that singers in the basso profondo category are a vocally inflexible lot would be well-advised to give Sibiriakov (as well as the great post-WWII bass Boris Shtokolov) a listen.