Larisa Avdeyeva
| Larisa Avdeyeva | |
|---|---|
 Avdeyeva as Gertrude in Bánk bán, 1959 | |
| Born |
Лариса Ивановна Авдеева 21 June 1925 Moscow, Russia |
| Died |
10 March 2013 (aged 87) Moscow, Russia |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Other names | Larisa Ivanovna Avdeeva |
| Occupation | Mezzo-soprano |
| Years active | 1947-1983 |
| Spouse(s) | Yevgeny Svetlanov |
Larisa Avdeyeva (Russian: Лариса Ивановна Авдеева or Larisa Ivanovna Avdeeva) (21 June 1925 – 10 March 2013) was a mezzo-soprano, who starred with the Bolshoi Opera for thirty years. In 1964 she was honored as a People’s Artist of the USSR State Symphony Orchestra.
Biography
Larisa 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 Stanislavsky Opera Studio 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 premier of Frol Skobeyev by Tikhon Khrennikov, Mistress of Copper Mountain the 1951 premier of Kamennïy 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 portayal 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 "Voĭna 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
- 1 2 3 4 Macy 2008, p. 20.
- 1 2 3 4 "Лариса Авдеева" (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Bolshoi Theatre. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- 1 2 Macy 2008, p. 21.
- ↑ "'War & Peace' Goes into Repertoire as Bolshoi Engagement Nears Finis". Bridgeport, Connecticut: The Bridgeport Post. 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, Yevgeny Svetlanov, The U.S.S.R. Symphony Orchestra, Larissa Avdeyeva, Anton Grigoriev, RSFSR Russian Chorus – Symphony No. 1". Discogs. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- 1 2 "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.
- ↑ Kamien 2015, p. 144.
- ↑ 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
- Kamien, Roger (2015). Music, An Appreciation: Arts, Performing arts (10th ed.). Content Technologies. ISBN 978-1-4902-9422-3.
- Macy, Laura Williams (2008). The Grove Book of Opera Singers. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533765-5.