Vladimir Kastorsky (Bass) ( Yaroslavl region 1870 - St. Petersburg 1948)

 As a child he sang in a church choir. Then he studied with his cousin A. Kastorsky and took some lessons from an Italian singer Antonio Cotogni. In 1892 he moved to St. Petersburg where he learned his vocal art at the "Free choir class," the charity project of Melnikov. In 1893 he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the course of C. Gabel, who a year later expelled the student for "voiceless and incompetence". Later C. Gabel admitted his error. In 1894 he made his debut at the Opera House of Pskov. Vladimir surved for the operatic stage about 45 years, his repertoire included 35 roles. In 1898—1918 and 1923—1930 he was a soloist of Mariinsky Theatre, and in 1918—1923 of Bolshoi Theatre, performing Ruslan and Susanin ("Ruslan and Ludmila" and " Life for the Tsar" by M.Glinka), Pimen ("Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky), Gremin and Kotchubey ("Eugene Onegin" and "Mazepa" by Tchaikovsky),Miller ("Rusalka" by Dargomyzhsky), Count Almaviva and Leporello ("The Marriage of Figaro" and "Don Giovanni" by Mozart), Vladimir Galitsky ("Prince Igor" by Borodin),Nilakanta ("Lakme" by Delibes). Vladimir Kastorsky was extremely successful in R.Wagner's operas: Wotan ("The Ring of the Nibelung") and Wolfram ("Tannhauser"), among others. In 1907 he organized a vocal quartet to promote Russian folk songs and toured with it in Russia and Europe. In 1907-1908 he participated in Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Seasons. The singer was the first performer of parties in Paris: Ruslan ("Ruslan and Ludmila" by Glinka, 1907), Pimen ("Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky, 1908), Prince Yuri Tokmakov ("The Maid of Pskov" and Rimsky-Korsakov, 1909). He also was heard at La Scala (1908), as well as in in Prague, Berlin, Rome, Munich, London, Harbin, Japan, Moscow (Theater Aquarium, Zimin's private Opera), Kiev, Odessa,Tiflis, and many other cities. He taught at Mariinsky Theatre, Leningrad's Art Studio and at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Until the end of life he performed as a chamber singer, performing Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, Mozart, Schubert, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Schumann.

Chronology of some appearances

1894 Pskov Opera House

1898-1918  St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre

1918-1923 Moscow Bolshoi Theatre 

1923-1930 St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre 

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Gramophone, St. Petersburg  1906

Faust (Gounod): Vous qui faites l'endormie (Gounod) 3-22575 4990L

The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky): If only darling maidens (Chaikovsky) 3-22554 4992L

The wolves, Ballad (Rubinstein) 3-22576 4995L

Serenade (O child, beneath your window) (Chaikovsky) 3-22549 4960L

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1907

Ruslan and Ludmila (Glinka): Oh field, field 022087 273m

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1908

Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Chorale - (I beg You to keep us) 3-22860 7775L

Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Pif, paf! (I'll sing you a song of the Huguenots) 3-22826 7776L

Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Conspiracy scene of St Bris - You all swore before God 3-22872 7871L

Lakmé (Delibes): Stances de Nilakantha - Lakmé, ton doux regard 022127 402m

Prince Igor (Borodin): No sleep, no rest 022126 403m

Mazeppa (Tchaikovsky): Kochubey's aria - Three treasures (Chaikovsky) 3-22831 7843L

Greetings, beautiful one with with M M Chuprynnikov, N M Safonov and N N Kedrov 2-24049 7812L

Ruslan and Ludmila (Glinka): Oh joy! ....Already the hour of my triumph 022126 403m

Tannhäuser (Wagner): Blick ich umher .... O du mein holder Abendstern 3-22874 7916L

Rusalka (Dargomyzhsky): The Miller's aria - You young girls are all alike 3-22827 7777L

Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1909

Die Zauberflöte (Mozart): Arie Sarastro (In diesen Heilg’en Hallen) 4-22082 6939r                                               6939r

They don't let Masha walk across the brook, Folk song with M. M. Chuprynnikov, N. M. Safonov and N. N. Kedrov  2-24070 6851r

Ballad (Before the Governor) (Rubinstein) 4-22036 6949r

Élégie (Massenet) 4-22047 6951r

True heart (Treue Liebe) Romans Op 7 No 1 (Brahms) 4-22053 6958r

Die beiden Grenadiere (Schumann) 022134  424s

In the Wild North (Dargomyzhsky) with Maria Michailova and Alexander Davidov 024031 419s

Iolanta (Tchaikovsky): The King's arioso - My Lord, if I have sinned 4-22061 6926r

The evening's golden clounds, Romance (Dargomyzhsky) with E I Zbrueva and A M Davydov 024034 420s