Mark Reizen

Mark Reizen
Mark Reizen

Mark Osipovich Reizen, also Reisen or Reyzen (Russian: Марк Осипович Рейзен, born in Zaitsevo village, Ekaterinoslav province, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) 3 July [O.S. 21 June] 1895 — died November 25, 1992 Moscow, Russia) was a leading Soviet opera singer with a beautiful and expansive bass voice.

Contents

Life and career

Reizen was born into a Jewish family of mine workers in 1895. He had four brothers and a sister, and all were trained in music, playing mandolin, guitar, balalaika and accordion. He served as a soldier in the First World War. He studied engineering at the Kharkiv Politechnic, and also voice at the Kharkiv conservatory with the Italian professor Federico Bugamelli in 1919-1920. He debuted at the Kharkiv Opera in 1921 as Pimen in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, and in 1925 moved to the Mariinsky Theatre in Leningrad. Reizen toured Europe performing in Paris, Berlin, Monte Carlo and London in 1929-1930.

A tall man commanding a strong stage presence, he joined the Bolshoi Theatre in 1930, remaining there as a principal bass until his retirement in 1954. Among his roles were: Ivan Susanin and Ruslan from the Glinka's operas, Don Basilio (The Barber of Seville by Rossini), Mephistopheles (Faust by Gounod), Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky), Salieri (Mozart and Salieri), the Viking merchant (Sadko) in operas by Rimsky-Korsakov, the old Gypsy (Aleko by Rachmaninov), Wotan in Wagner's Ring of the Nibelungs, Konchak (Prince Igor by Borodin), Philip II and Procida in Verdi's operas, and so on. He became a particularly memorable interpreter of Boris and Dosifei in the operas by Mussorgsky.

Reizen was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1941, 1949 and 1951.

In 1967 he began teaching, and became a professor at the Moscow Gnessin Institute. He gave an important recital for his 80th anniversary, and for his 90th sang Prince Gremin (in Eugene Onegin) at the Bolshoi in Moscow in July 1985. On both occasions his voice proved to be in a remarkable state of preservation.

Reizen died at the age 97 of a stroke. He is considered to have been the most illustrious Russian bass since the days of Lev Sibiriakov (1869-1942) and Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), and the possessor of one of the very finest voices of its type heard anywhere in the world during the past 100 years. A number of recordings are available on CD and verify his greatness. Film clips of him performing also exist.

Quotations

  • "Reizen is stupendous. His lush, voluminous basso rolls through the music unconstrainedly. It sits easily at the bottom, peels forth brilliant Fs and F-sharps at the top (and one hair-raising high G), and in-between displays flowing line and a mezza-voce that rivals prime Pinza or Chaliapin. Ruslan's heroic fire and tenderness are there - it's a complete piece of work". (Conrad L. Osborne, in the Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera)
  • “In 1930, Reizen went on a tour of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, sang Mephistopheles (Faust) and was immediately noticed by Stalin, who was a music and opera lover. He described a somewhat comical scene as he was invited to the official government box during the intermission, where, dressed as the Devil, he was introduced to Stalin. The dialogue went something like this:
–You sing very well.
–Thank you.
–Why don't you come here more often?
–You see, I sing in Leningrad and only visit here.
–Why not move here and visit there?
–You see, I have a contract there, and an apartment too…
–Perhaps we can do something and find you an apartment here.
The following day and in typical Soviet style, he was surprised by the unannounced visit of an official car with a soldier, who was under orders to take him hunting apartments.
This is how Mark Reizen was engaged at the Bolshoi.” (Anecdote, Opera Gems)

(' 'Mark Reizen - Autobiography - [Autobiograficheskie Zapisky,Stati i Vospominanya) 2nd edition 1986 pp135)

Recordings and discography

  • Lebendige Vergangenheit - Mark Reizen CD 0717281890595 Label: Preiser 1997, Time: 76 minutes (with biographical liner notes).
  • Detailed discography: [1], [2].

Bibliography

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mark Reizen — Mark Ossipovitch Reizen (ou Reisen) (en russe : Марк Осипович Рейзен), né à Saïtsevo (Ukraine) le 21 juin 1895 et mort à Moscou le 25 novembre 1992, était une basse soviétique d origine ukrainienne, chanteur d opéras, de mélodies et de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mark Reizen — Mark Ossipowitsch Reisen (* 21. Juni 1895 − 3. Juli nach alter Zeitrechnung − in Saizewo − a. Q. Nikitowka − Russisches Reich; † 25. November 1992 in Moskau, Russland) war ein sowjetischer Bass ukrainischen Ursprungs. Reisens Vater arbeitete in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mark Reizen — Mark Osipovich Reizen (Марк Осипович Рейзен) nació en la villa de Zaitsevo, Ekaterinoslav, Ucrania entonces Imperio ruso el 3 de julio de 1895 y murió en Moscú el 25 de noviembre de 1992. Fue un famoso bajo lírico de ascendencia judía, hijo de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mark Reisen — Mark Ossipowitsch Reisen (* 21. Juni 1895 − 3. Juli nach alter Zeitrechnung − in Saizewo − a. Q. Nikitowka − Russisches Reich; † 25. November 1992 in Moskau, Russland) war ein sowjetischer Bass ukrainischen Ursprungs. Reisens Vater arbeitete in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mark Tavassol — Wir sind Helden Mark Tavassol, Jean Michel Tourette, Pola Roy und Judith Holofernes Gründung 2000 Genre Pop Rock Website …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alexandrov Ensemble soloists — G.Y. Andryushchenko: soloist of the Ensemble, Bolshoi Theatre soloist and People s Artist of Russia, who died 12 January 2011 This is an alphabetical list of the basso profondo, bass, bass baritone and tenor soloists who have performed with the… …   Wikipedia

  • The Record of Singing — is the most important compilation of singing from the first half of the 20th century, the era of the 78 rpm record.It was published by EMI, successor to the British company His Master s Voice (better known as HMV), the leading organization in the …   Wikipedia

  • Khovanshchina (film) — Infobox Film name = Khovanshchina Хованщина image size = caption = director = Vera Stroyeva producer = writer = Anna Abramova Dmitri Shostakovich narrator = starring = Mark Reizen Aleksej Krivchenya Anton Grigoryev music = Modest Mussorgsky… …   Wikipedia

  • The EMI Record of Singing — The Record of Singing est la compilation la plus importante de chants classiques et des interprètes du monde de la première moitié du XXe siècle à l époque des disques 78 tours. Ces disques ont été édités par EMI, succédant à la société… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alexandrov Ensemble — The Alexandrov Choir with Dance Ensemble, Warsaw 2009 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”