Larisa Ivanovna Avdeyeva or Avdeeva (Russian: Лариса Ивановна Авдеева; 21 June 1925 – 10 March 2013) was a Soviet and Russian mezzo-soprano, who starred with the Bolshoi Opera for thirty years. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1964).
Larisa Avdeyeva | |
|---|---|
Лариса Авдеева | |
 Avdeyeva as Gertrude in Bánk bán, 1959 | |
| Born | 21 June 1925 Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Died | 10 March 2013 (aged 87) Moscow, Russia |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Mezzo-soprano |
| Years active | 1947-1983 |
| Spouse | Yevgeny Svetlanov |
Biography
editLarisa Ivanovna Avdeyeva was born on 21 June 1925[1] in Moscow to a family of opera singers. Though surrounded by music and performing in a children's glee club from age eleven, Avdeyeva initially wanted to study architecture. After World War II, she entered college to study construction, but a year later changed over to music.[2] She studied at the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre from 1945 to 1946, and the following year began working as a soloist at the Stanislavsky Musical Theatre of Moscow.[1] Among the roles she performed were Olga in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Varvara[2] in the 1950 premiere of Frol Skobeyev by Tikhon Khrennikov, Mistress of Copper Mountain the 1951 premier of Kamenniy tsvetok (based on the story The Stone Flower) by Kirill Molchanov[1] and Kosova in the 1952 production of V buryu (Into the Storm) by Khrennikov. She made her debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1952 reprising her earlier role of Olga.[2]
She was a mezzo-soprano and quickly became a lead singer for those roles, performing as Spring in The Snow Maiden by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Martha in Khovanshchina by Modest Mussorgsky. Avdeyeva excelled in the Rimsky-Korsakov roles of Ljubasha in The Tsar's Bride and Lel in The Snow Maiden and Carmen in the Georges Bizet opera of the same name.[2] Some of her later roles included Princess in Tchaikovsky’s Enchantress, Konchakovna in Borodin’s Prince Igor, Akhrosimova in Prokofiev's War and Peace[1] and the Commissar in Kholminov’s Optimisticheskaya tragediya. She also performed in Canada, Europe, Japan and the United States.[3] Making a 1975 trip to the US, Avdeyeva's portrayal of the Countess in War and Peace was described as "not only acted [but] sung superbly".[4]
In addition to her 30 years of live appearances with the Bolshoi, for four decades Avdeyeva recorded with the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, which was directed by her husband Yevgeny Svetlanov.[5] She recorded Scriabin's Symphony No. 1 In E Major, Op. 26;[6] in 1969,[7] Edward Elgar's Sea Pictures & Symphony No. 2 in 1977;[8] Tchaikovsky's "Onegin" in 1979; and Prokofiev's "Voina i mir" in 1983, among many other titles.[7] Avdeyeva appeared in the 1951 film Большой концерт (Grand Concert)[9] and played the role of Marina in the 1954 film Boris Godunov, both directed by Vera Stroyeva.[10] In 1964, she was awarded the People's Artist of the RSFSR.[3]
Adveyeva died on 10 March 2013 in Moscow.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Macy 2008, p. 20.
- ^ a b c d "Лариса Авдеева" (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Bolshoi Theatre. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ a b Macy 2008, p. 21.
- ^ "'War & Peace' Goes into Repertoire as Bolshoi Engagement Nears Finis". The Bridgeport Post. Bridgeport, Connecticut. 15 July 1975. p. 14. Retrieved 23 January 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Blyth, Alan (March 1970). "Remembering Yevgeny Svetlanov (1928-2002)". London, UK: Gramophone. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ SCRIABIN, A.: Symphony No. 1 / Poem of Ecstasy, "Symphony No. 4" (Avdeyeva, Grigoriev, Volodin, Yurlov Russian Choir, USSR State Symphony, Svetlanov), Naxos Digital Services US, Hong Kong: Naxos Digital Services US Inc, retrieved 2021-10-03
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b "Avdeeva, Larisa, 1925-2013". Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ Achenbach, Andrew. "Elgar Sea Pictures; Symphony No 2". London, UK: Gramophone. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ "Авдеева Лариса Ивановна" (in Russian). Kino-teatr Russia. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ "'Boris Godunov' and Bardot Work Coming". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. 17 January 1960. p. F6. Retrieved 15 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Горелова, Мария (11 March 2013). "Оперная певица Лариса Авдеева скончалась на 88-м году жизни" (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Комсомольская правда. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
Bibliography
edit- Macy, Laura Williams (2008). The Grove Book of Opera Singers. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533765-5.