David Aleksandrovich Gamrekeli ( ka, დავით გამრეკელი, 27 July 1911 – 29 November 1977) was a Georgian

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

singer.

Biography

Gamrekeli was born in

Chiatura Chiatura ( ) is a city in the Imereti region of Western Georgia. In 1989, it had a population of about 30,000. The city is known for its system of cable cars connecting the city's center to the mining settlements on the surrounding hills. The ci ...

Western Georgia West Georgia may refer to: *University of West Georgia, a public university in Carrollton, Georgia, U.S. **West Georgia Wolves, athletic teams of the University of West Georgia * West Georgia Technical College, a community college in Waco, Georgia, ...

. In 1935, he graduated from the Tbilisi State Conservatory, studying under Professor Vronsky. That year, the young baritone sang at the

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre The Georgian National Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi ( ka, თბილისის ოპერისა და ბალეტის სახელმწიფო აკადემიური თეატრი, tr), formerly known as ...

the role of Prince Yeletsky from

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

's opera '' The Queen of Spades''. In 1937 in Moscow, Georgian Literature and the Arts of the decade, he performed Kiazo's role in Paliashvili's opera ''

Daisi ''Daisi'' ( ka, დაისი, tr) is an opera in three acts by the Georgian composer Zacharia Paliashvili to a Georgian libretto by Valerian Gunia. It was first performed at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre on 19 December 1923. Composit ...

'' (Sunset). One year later he became laureate of the First All-Union Competition of Vocalists. He sang the leading roles from Georgian and foreign operas at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 1943, he was awarded the title People's Artist. Gamrekeli performed as a soloist at the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

from 1944 to 1952. In 1947 he took the role of the Commissar (

Sergo Ordzhonikidze Sergo Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze, ; (born Grigol Konstantines dze Orjonikidze; 18 February 1937) was an Old Bolshevik and a Soviet statesman. Born and raised in Georgia, in the Russian Empire, Ordzhonikidze joined the Bolsheviks at an e ...

) in

Vano Muradeli Vano Muradeli ( ka, ვანო მურადელი; ; – 14 August 1970), was a Soviet Georgian composer. Biography He was born in Gori, Georgia Gori ( ka, გორი ) is a city in eastern Georgia (country), Georgia, which ...

's ill-fated opera, '' The Great Friendship''. Gamrekeli's opera repertoire included thirty opera roles, including Tchaikovsky's ''

Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...

'',

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

's ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

'', the roles of

Renato Renato is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Latin name Renatus. Notable people with the name used mononymously include: * Renato Mirze (born 1982), International brand chef, TV presenter * San Renato, a saint of the Catholic Church ...

and Germont, Escamillo from

Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, '' Carmen'', which has become ...

's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' and others.David Gamrekeli – Georgian vocal's beauty
He died in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

in 1977, aged 66.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gamrekeli, David 1911 births 1977 deaths 20th-century male opera singers from Georgia (country) People from Imereti People from Kutais Governorate Recipients of the Stalin Prize Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Operatic baritones Burials at Didube Pantheon Soviet opera singers