Ivan Rebroff (31 July 193127 February 2008) was a German-born vocalist, allegedly of Russian ancestry, who rose to prominence for his distinct and extensive vocal range of four and a half

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

s, ranging from the soprano to

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

registers.

Life and career

Rebroff was born in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

as Hans-Rolf Rippert to German parents. His parents wer
Paul Rippert
an engineer born in 1897 in

Liebenwerda Bad Liebenwerda () is a spa town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 57 km northwest of Dresden, and 28 km east of Torgau. History The first written mention ...

, an
Luise Fenske
born in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

(then part of Prussian

Bromberg Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the Vistula River, River Vistula with its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda River, Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December ...

). He claimed Russian descent, and while often disputed, this has never been totally refuted. In a 1989 interview with ''

Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes ...

'', he said "according to documents I am Ivan Pavlovich Rebroff" (russian: Иван Павлович Ребров). He studied singing at the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg is one of the larger universities of music in Germany. It was founded 1950 as ''Staatliche Hochschule für Musik'' (Public college of music) on the base of the former private acting school of Annema ...

. Although his knowledge and pronunciation of Russian was imperfect, he became famous for singing Russian

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

s, but also performed opera, light classics and folk songs from many other countries. He was known on stage for his gusto. He performed over 6,000 concerts in his career, including a two-year seven-day-a-week stint at the French opera, singing and acting, among other greats, the role of Tevye in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 190 ...

''. Rebroff still performed 12 shows in 14 days when he was well into his seventies, such as on an Australian tour. Yvan Rebroff

Ivan Rebroff described himself as international, the "connection between East and West". He became a citizen of Greece and lived on the Greek island of

Skopelos Skopelos ( el, Σκόπελος, ) is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group, which lies east of the Pelion peninsula on the mainland and north of the island ...

in the

Sporades The (Northern) Sporades (; el, Βόρειες Σποράδες, ) are an archipelago along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea,"Skyros - Britannica Concise" (description), Britannica Concise, 2006, webpageEB-Skyrosnotes ...

. Rebroff was homosexual. As well as being a phenomenal singer, videos such a
this
and photos such a

suggest that he was at least a reasonable violinist and keyboardist (he is pictured playing a church organ but may have also played the piano). He died in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

after a long illness. Four days after his death, his brother Horst Rippert, who is nine years his senior (and by his own unsubstantiated accounts shot down

Antoine de Saint Exupéry Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guian ...

during World War II), claimed part of Rebroff's vast fortune. ttp://www.bild.de/BILD/leute/star-news/2008/03/01/toter-ivan-rebroff/heimlicher-bruder-will-millionen-vermoegen.html "Heimlicher Bruder will Millionen-Vermögen"(29/2/09) in ttp://www.bild.de Aktuelle Nachrichten - Bild.de/ref>

LP discography

1967

*''Folk Songs from Old Russia (Volksweisen aus dem alten Russland)''

1968

*''Folk Songs from Old Russia Volume II (Volksweisen aus dem alten Russland 2)'' *''Original russische Liebeslieder'' *''Na Sdarowje (Ivan sings about Vodka and Wine)'' *''Slawische Seele (Compilation album shared with Tatjana Ivanow & Dunja Rajter)''

1969

*''Beim Klang der Balalaika, Au son des Balalaikas (French version of Beim Klang der Balalaika)'' *''Favourites from Mother Russia'' *''Abendglocken (Compilation)'' *''Russische Weihnacht mit Ivan Rebroff'' *''Ivan Rebroff'' (Includes

Lara's Theme "Lara's Theme" is the name given to a leitmotif written for the film '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965) by composer Maurice Jarre. Soon afterward, the leitmotif became the basis of the song "Somewhere, My Love". Numerous versions, both orchestral and v ...

and other Popular Melodies) *''A Russian Christmas (English version of Russische Weihnacht?)'' *''Un Violon sur le toit (Soundtrack of French production of Fiddler on the Roof)'' *''Russische Party ("Live" album)'' *''Festliche Weihnacht (with Regensburger Domspatzen - Boys' Choir)'' *''A Festive Christmas (Festliche Weihnacht re-issue)''

1970

*''Somewhere My Love (English-language versions)'' *''Kosaken müssen reiten (German-language versions)'' *''Ivan Rebroff (Compilation?)''

1971

*''The Best of Ivan Rebroff (Compilation)'' *''Ivan Rebroff Sing vir Ons (South African Album-Gold Disk Award)'' *''Vir Jou Suid-Afrika (South African album)'' *''Ivan Rebroff (Opera)'' *''Kalinka (Soundtrack from L'Homme qui vient de la Nuit)'' *''Mein Russland, Du bist schön (German-language versions)'' *''Starportrait (Compilation)'' *''Zwischen Donau und Don (with Dunja Rajter)''

1972

*''Erinnerungen an Russland (Russian-language versions)'' *''The Best of Ivan Rebroff Volume II (Compilation)''

1973

*''Lieder der Welt (Folk songs from around the world)'' *''Mein Altes Russland (lushly arranged Russian folk songs)'' *''25 Greatest Russian Melodies (Compilation with Tatiana Ivanov (2 duets))'' *''20 Greatest Hits (Compilation)''

1974

*''Russische Party 2 ("Live" album)'' *''Memories of Russia''

1975

*''Ivan Rebroff at Carnegie Hall (Live at Carnegie Hall)'' *''Reich Mir Die Hand'' *''Russische Lieder Von Liebe und Tod''

1977

*''Midnight in Moscow (Russian-language versions)'' *''Komm mit nach Hellas (German-language versions of Greek songs)''

1978

*''Mitternacht in Moskau (German version of Midnight in Moscow)''

1979

*''Ave Maria'' *''Die Ivan Rebroff Versameling (Compilation of South African tracks)''

1980

*''Zauber einer großen Stimme — 20 unvergängliche Welterfolge'' *''Zauber einer großen Stimme — Seine größten Welterfolge'' *''Die schönsten Lieder dieser Welt (Ivan Rebroff singt 20 unvergängliche Melodien)'' *''Katharina und Potemkin'' (TV musical/operetta)

CD discography

1976

* ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original li ...

'' conducted by

Carlos Kleiber Carlos Luis Bonifacio Kleiber (3 July 1930 – 13 July 2004) was an Austrian conductor who is widely regarded as among the greatest conductors of all time. Early life Kleiber was born as Karl Ludwig Bonifacius Kleiber in Berlin in 1930, the ...

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family o ...

- with

Hermann Prey Hermann Prey ( Berlin, 11 July 1929 – Krailling, 22 July 1998) was a German lyric baritone, who was equally at home in the Lied, operatic and concert repertoires. His American debut was in November 1952, with the Philadelphia Orchestra and ...

, Julia Varady,

Lucia Popp Lucia Popp (born Lucia Poppová; 12 November 193916 November 1993) was a Slovak operatic soprano. She began her career as a soubrette, and later moved into the light-lyric and lyric coloratura soprano repertoire and then the lighter Richard Str ...

, Rene Kollo,

Bernd Weikl Bernd Weikl (born 29 July 1942) is an Austrian operatic baritone, particularly known for his performances in the stage works by Richard Wagner. He also has written books and directed operas. Career Born in Vienna, he moved with his family to ...

Benno Kusche Benno Paul Kusche (30 January 1916 – 14 May 2010) was a German operatic baritone, who was praised as one of the best Mozart and Wagner singers, especially in character roles and opera buffa. Career Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Kusche was the ...

, and Eva List - Bayerischer Staatsopernchor & Bayerisches Staatsorchester''

2002

*''Meine Reise um die Welt'' *''The Great Ivan Rebroff'' *''Ach Natascha"

2003

*''Seine Größten Welterfolge'' *''Best of Ivan Rebroff'' *''Golden Stars''

Compilation albums

*''Festliche Weihnachten'' *''The Art of Ivan Rebroff'' *''The Best of Russian Folk Songs Vol. 1'' *''The Best of Russian Folk Songs Vol. 2'' *''Erinnerungen an das letzte Jahrhundert (Memories of the Last Century)'' *''Der Zarewitsch'' *''

'' (As Prince Orlofsky, with

Bavarian State Orchestra The Bavarian State Orchestra (german: Bayerisches Staatsorchester, italic=no) is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile On 9 December 2011, this ensemble c ...

) *''Weihnachten mit Ivan Rebroff'' *''Die schönste Stimme Rußlands'' *''Kosakenträume''

Notes

External links

*
Ivan Rebroff Fan PageIvan Rebroff in Skopelos island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rebroff, Ivan 1931 births 2008 deaths 20th-century German male singers Musicians from Berlin People from Spandau Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German people of Russian descent German basses Singers with a four-octave vocal range Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg alumni Naturalized citizens of Greece German folk singers Columbia Records artists German expatriates in Greece Gay singers German LGBT singers German gay musicians Skopelos 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people