Alexander Mikhaylovich Davydov (Александр Михайлович Давыдов, real name Israil Moiseyevich Levenson, Израиль Моисеевич Левенсон; March 25, 1872, - June 28, 1944) was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

and

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

and operetta singer, later a theatre director, pedagogue and memoirist. In 1924 he was designated a Meritorious Artist of the Republic.

Biography

Israil Levenson was born in the town of

Kobeliaky Kobeliaky ( uk, Кобеля́ки, ) is a city in Poltava Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kobeliaky Raion. Population: History During World War II, Kobeliaky was under German occupation from 15 September 1941 until ...

Poltava Governorate The Poltava Governorate (russian: Полтавская губерния, Poltavskaya guberniya; ua, Полтавська Губернія, translit=Poltavska huberniia) or Poltavshchyna was a gubernia (also called a province or government) in ...

, to the family of a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

teacher. Aged twelve he made a journey to

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

where he started to perform, singing in cafes and restaurants. One of the musicians he made friends with,

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helped the young man to join the Kiev opera choir. After studying for two years under

Camille Everardi Camille Everardi (1824–1899) was a Belgian operatic baritone who had an active international career during the 1850s through the 1870s. He particularly excelled in the works of Vincenzo Bellini and Gioachino Rossini. Several music critics of ...

, in 1892 Alexander Davydov made his debut at the

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

opera. Then he developed a passion to operetta and started travelling from one city to another, performing in local theatres. In 1900 he joined the Saint Petersburg's

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...

and made his debut there as Hermann in '' The Queen of Spades'' to huge critical and popular acclaim. Davydov, the most popular male Russian singer of his generation, made about 400 gramophone recordings in 1901-1912. His huge repertoire included 85 operas and 30 operettas. In 1909

Sergey Dyagilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pat ...

invited now famous Davydov to take part in his Russian Seasons in

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. In 1914 due to progressing

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Davydov was forced to quit opera but continued to perform, singing popular songs and romances. In 1924 he departed to France and was invited by

Fyodor Chalyapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin, ˈfʲɵdər ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ʂɐˈlʲapʲɪn}; April 12, 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass v ...

to become the artistic director of his opera troupe. In 1935 Davydov returned to the USSR. In his later years he taught vocals at Mariinsky Theatre (known at the time as the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre) and published memoirs on

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

and Chalyapin, among many other musicians and composers he'd met. Alexander Davydov died in Moscow on June 28, 1944.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davydov, Alexander 1872 births 1944 deaths People from Kobeliaky People from Kobelyaksky Uyezd Russian opera singers Tenors People's Artists of the RSFSR