Eugene Vitting (Tenor) (St. Petersburg 1884 - Minsk 1959)

                                                               Pinkerton

His real surname was Vittings. He studied with his  brother, who was an operetta singer. Later he received his education at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with Gabel, but soon decided to leave Conservatory and studied privately with great russian tenor Lev Klementiev. In 1904 he moved to Milan to continue his education, where he studied with Del Fiume. He made his debut in 1906 in Piacenza as Edgardo in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’. Then Vitting appeared in Milan and Parma. In the same year he returned to Russia and appeared at the St. Petersburg National House. From 1909 to 1918 Vitting was a soloist at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre, where he debuted as Sobinin in ‘’A life for the Tzar’’. In 1913 he guested in Kazan. From 1918 he lived in Riga where he helped to establish the National Opera Theatre and where he appeared up to 1940. Since 1920’s he always appeared in England, France (1924-26), Monaco, Spain (1924-26, 1932, 1934, Madrid, Barcelona), Italy (1924-26, 1932, La Scala), Berlin (1928), Belgrad (1929-31), Bucharest (1932), USA (1933-36, New York, Philadelphia), China (1929, Shanghai), Japan (1929), Czechoslovakia, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia. He also appeared in Odessa (1926), Sverdlovsk (1927-28), Tiflis (1927). Last time he appeared in 1946 as Eleazar in ‘’La Juive’’ of Halevy at the Riga Opera Theatre. Vitting possessed strong, equal in all registers (with the dense middle) voice of rare beauty and a wide range (freely overcame difficulties of the top register). His repertoire totaled over 35 parts. He was a friend of Titta Ruffo.

Chronology of some appearances

1906 Piacenza Opera House Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo)
1908  St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre A life for the Tzar (Sobinin)

1927 Riga Opera Theatre La Juive (Eleazar)

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

 

Gramophone, St. Petersburg  23-9-10

 Mefistofele (Boito): Se tu mi doni un ora with Lev Sibiryakov 024041 2037c

 

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 30-9-10

 Nijegorodci (Napravnik): Kuratov's romance 022178 2048c

Carmen (Bizet): La fleur que tú m’avais jetée 022179 2049c

 

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 4-10-10

Don’t trust you baby (Petrov) 4-22179 14910b

No to byl son von (Lassen) 4-22181

You are my morning  (Vrangel) 4-22182 14913

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 13-10-10

She was yours (Grechaninov) 4-22194 14968b

 

Gramophone, St. Petersburg  18-10-10

 Mattinata (Leoncavallo) 4-22206 15010

 

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 2-10-11

Carmen (Bizet): C'est toi! c'est moi!... with Evgenija Zbrueva 024052 2455c

Carmen (Bizet): Mais moi, Carmen, je t'aime encore with Evgenija Zbrueva 024053 2456c

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 2-10-11

Aida: Ariya Radamesa - Milaya Aida Verdi 022303 2480c

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1-10-12

 The Sailors (Villebois) with Lev Sibiryakov 2-24040 16682½b

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 4-10-12
Te wedding (Dargomizhsky) 022307 2655c
Zhidovka: Ariya Eleazara, A4 - Rakhil, ty mne dana, Halévy 022304 2656c

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 17-10-12

Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov): Your tresses shine like honey-hued dew with Elena Katulskaya 024063 2674c

Gramophone, St. Petersburg  9-11-13

The magic of the roses (Schenk): The troubadour’s aria 022335 2903c

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky): Duel scene with Mikhail Karakash 024082 2900c

Carmen (Bizet): Ho nome Escamilio with Mikhail Karakash 024086 2901c

 

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 25-4-13 

With the sweet scent of lilac (Plotnikov) 4-22605 17558 ½b

Madama Butterfly (Puccini): Duo with Mikhail Karakash 2-24217 17543

 

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 14-11-13

 Pique Dame: (Tchaikovsky)  You will be dealt a fatal blow 4-22727 18196b

Canta pe' me (De Curtis-Bovio) 4-22728 18201b