Nicolai Ghiuselev

Nicolai Ghiuselev (Pavlikeni, August 14, 1936) is a Bulgarian operatic bass, particularly associated with the Italian and Russian repertories.

He studied first painting at the Academy of Arts in Sofia, and later voice at the school of the National Opera of Sofia, with Christo Brambarov. He made his stage debut with that company, as Timur in "Turandot", in 1960.

In 1965, with the Sofia Opera, he toured Germany, the Netherlands and France, and made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera of New York, as Ramfis in "Aida", quickly followed by King Philip II in "Don Carlo", and the title role in "Boris Godunov". In two seasons with the Met, he also sang as Raimondo in "Lucia di Lammermoor", the Commendatore in "Don Giovanni", Colline in "La boheme".

Important debuts followed at the Berlin State Opera, La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Monte Carlo Opera, the Palais Garnier in Paris, the Liceo in Barcelona, the San Carlo in Naples, the Royal Opera House in London, the Verona Arena, the Salzburg Festival, the Holland Festival, he also appeared in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Marseille, Toulouse, Chicago, Houston, etc.

Other notable roles include; Mephisto in "Faust", Creon in "Medea", Padre Guardiano in "La forza del destino", Banquo in "Macbeth", Zaccaria in "Nabucco", Silva in "Ernani", Enrico in "Anna Bolena", Galitzky in "Prince Igor", the four vilains in "Les contes d'Hoffmann", Mosè in "Mosè in Egitto", Marcel in "Les Huguenots", Gremin in "Eugene Onegin", etc.

An often underrated singer, he possesses a rich and powerful voice used with considerable intelligence and has a strong presence.

elected recordings

* 1967 - "La Gioconda" - Renata Tebaldi, Carlo Bergonzi, Robert Merrill, Marilyn Horne, Nicolai Ghiuselev - Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Lamberto Gardelli - (Decca)

* 1969 - "Les Huguenots" - Joan Sutherland, Martina Arroyo, Huguette Tourangeau, Anastasios Vrenios, Nicolai Ghiuselev, Gabriel Bacquier, Dominic Cossa - Ambrosian Opera Chorus, New Philarmonia Orchestra, Richard Bonynge - (Decca)

ources

* "Dictionary of Opera & Operetta", James Anderson, (Wings Book, 1993) ISBN 0-517-09156-9