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THE STARS OF ZIMIN OPERA (1904 – 1917)
The Zimin Opera Theatre was a private opera house founded in 1904 in
Moscow by S. I. Zimin. It was nationalized in 1917 and later transformed into a
branch of the Bolshoi Theatre in 1924. The theatre officially opened on October
1 (14), 1904, at the Aquarium Theatre with a performance of May Night by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
From 1908 onward, performances were held on the stage of the
Solodovnikov Theatre (now the premises of the Operetta Theatre). The Zimin
Opera promoted Russian classical opera—Boris
Godunov by Mussorgsky, for example, was presented without the usual cuts
and included the "Under Kromy" scene—and also staged major works of
Western European repertoire. Notably, Wagner’s The Mastersingers of Nuremberg was performed here for the first
time in Russia in 1909.
During World War I, in 1914, Zimin organized a hospital in Moscow
where wounded soldiers were cared for by the theatre's artists and staff. In
1916, he opened an Opera Studio, where singers were trained according to
methods he had developed. However, the studio was soon closed by the new Soviet
authorities.
Following the October Revolution in 1917, the Zimin Opera was
nationalized and renamed the Theatre of the Council of Workers' Deputies. It
later became the Small State Opera in 1919 and the Theatre of Musical Drama in
1921. Despite the nationalization, Sergei Ivanovich Zimin continued to work at
the theatre for a time as a member of the management.
Selected Productions:
1907 – The Maid of Orleans
Conductor: Palitsyn; Director: Olenin
Charles VII – Picock; Dunois – Vekov; Lionel – Bocharov; Cardinal – Trubin;
Agnes – Dobrovolskaya; Joan of Arc – Petrova-Zvantseva; Thibaud – Osipov;
Raymond – Karenzin
September 24, 1909 – The Golden Cockerel by
Rimsky-Korsakov (first performance)
Director: Olenin; Designer: Bilibin; Conductor: Cooper
Queen of Shemakha – Dobrovolskaya; Dodon – Speransky; Astrologer – Picock;
Amelfa – Rostovtseva; Polkan – Zaporozhets; Gvidon – Ernst; Afron – Dikov;
Golden Cockerel – Klopotovskaya
1911 – The Oprichnik
Conductor: Palitsyn; Director: Olenin; Set Designer: Matorin
Andrei – Damaev; Natalia – Milova; Morozova – Ostrogradskaya; Zhemchuzhny –
Trubin
1911 – The Valley by Eugen d'Albert (second
production in Russia after Odessa)
Conductor: Palitsyn; Director: Olenin
Pedro – Damaev; Sebastiano – Bocharov; Marta – Druzyakin; Tomaso – Osipov; Nuri
– Turchaninova; Moruccio – Chugunov; Nando – Skuba
The Zimin Opera staged numerous works, including:
Russian operas: Ivan Susanin,
Rusalka, The Demon, Prince Igor, The Snow
Maiden, Sadko, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Khovanshchina, Boris Godunov (complete with
"Under Kromy" scene), The
Miller–Sorcerer, Deceiver and Matchmaker by Sokolovsky, Askold’s Grave, Rogneda by Serov
Tchaikovsky's operas (most of his works)
Western European operas: Aida,
La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Manon by Massenet, Louise by Charpentier
Other premieres: The
Mastersingers of Nuremberg (1909), Carmen, The Captain’s
Daughter by Cui, Klara Milich
by Kastalsky, Trilby by
Yurasovsky, Sister Beatrice by
Grechaninov
In 1916, The Wedding,
a comic opera by V. Ehrenberg based on Chekhov’s vaudeville, premiered here
In 1908, Zimin also opened the Orion Theatre in Moscow as a branch of
the Zimin Opera, focused on young artists. The great soprano Valeria Barsova
made her debut at the Zimin Opera in 1917.
The theatre was formed by merging Zimin’s private troupe with much of
the ensemble from the “Association of Artists of the Moscow Private Opera,” led
by M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, which disbanded in 1904.
Zimin employed both celebrated singers and emerging talents. As the Great Soviet Encyclopedia noted,
“Along with famous singers, Zimin invited young actors to his theatre, often
organizing support for their vocal and artistic development.”
Notable Artists of the Zimin
Opera:
Singers: F. I. Shalyapin, L. V. Sobinov, L. M. Klementyev, A. M.
Matveyev, P. S. Olenin (chief director from 1907), V. I. Strakhova, V. R.
Picock, O. I. Kaminsky, V. L. Nardov, A. I. Ulukhanov, R. K. Lambert, N. D.
Vekov, E. V. Nechaeva, E. Ya. Tsvetkova, V. N. Petrova-Zvantseva, S. I.
Druzyakin, M. I. Zakrevskaya, N. S. Ermolenko-Yuzhina, M. V. Bocharov, V. P.
Damaev, N. I. Speransky, M. I. Donetsk, Yu. S. Kiporenko-Damansky
Directors: A. V. Ivanovsky, A. P. Petrovsky, N. N. Zvantsev, F. F.
Komissarzhevsky
Conductors: M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov, E. A. Cooper, A. M. Pazovsky, M.
M. Bagrinovsky, E. E. Plotnikov
Instrumentalists: Violinist Yu. F. Fayer, clarinetist F. I.
Nikolaevsky
Dancers: M. F. Moiseyev
Foreign Guests:
Zimin also invited international stars, including singers Titta Ruffo, Domenico Anselmi, Lina Cavalieri; conductors Édouard Colonne (1907) and Bruno Walter (1914); and the legendary baritone Mattia Battistini, who sang at the theatre for many years. In 1915, ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya performed on the theatre stage, and in 1916, Michel Fokine brought his ballet troupe to perform there.
TRACKLIST
Nina Lezhen The Tzar’s Bride (Rimsky-Korsakov): Evidemtly, you do not
love with Pavel Andreev 24401 3459L Gramophone, St. Petersburg 1905
Vera De Luce Aria and Variations (Proch) (It) X-63954 Zonophone, St
Petersburg 1907
Vera De Luce Zauberflöte (Mozart) Der Hölle Rache X-63953 Zonophone,
St Petersburg 1907
Vera De Luce Rigoletto (Verdi) Caro nome 86125 Pathé, Milano 1906
Maria Kurenko Traviata (Verdi): Parigi, o cara with Slovtsov 602
Artistotipia, Kiev 1914/1915
Maria Kurenko Faust (Gounod): Laisse-moi, laisse-moi contempler with
Petr Slovstov 603 Artistotipia, Kiev 1914/1915
Vladimir Kastorsky Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Chorale – (I beg You to
keep us) 3-22860 7775L Gramophone
Vladimir Kastorsky Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Pif, paf! (I’ll sing you
a song of the Huguenots) 3-22826 7776L Gramophone
Vladimir Kastorsky Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Conspiracy scene of St
Bris – You all swore before God 3-22872 7871L Gramophone
Vladimir Kastorsky Lakmé (Delibes): Stances de Nilakantha – Lakmé, ton
doux regard 022127 402m Gramophone
Oscar Kamionsky Trovatore (Verdi): Il balen del suo sorriso 14029 940
Anker, Berlin 1906
Oscar Kamionsky Don Giovanni (Mozart): Finch’han dal vino 3-22955
8638L Gramophone Moscow 30-1-09
Oscar Kamionsky Otello (Verdi): Credo in un dio crudel 022192 2023c
Gramophone St. Petersburg 16-9-10
Lidya Lipkovskaya (Lydia Lipkovska) Tosca (Puccini): Vissi d’arte
2-23699 17158b Gramophone, St Petersburg 1912-12-21
Lidya Lipkovskaya (Lydia Lipkovska) Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini):
Una voce poco fa 023116 2728c Gramophone, St Petersburg 1912-12-21
Lidya Lipkovskaya (Lydia Lipkovska) Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini): Io
sono docile 023117 27281/2C Gramophone, St Petersburg 1912-12-21
Lidya Lipkovskaya (Lydia Lipkovska) Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Je
veux vivre 023138 282af Gramophone, St Petersburg 1914-01-17
Vera Petrova-Zvantseva The Tzar’s Bride (Rimsky-Korsakov): What have I
come to 2-23381 8608L Gramophone 1-09
Vera Petrova-Zvantseva Trovatore (Verdi): Stride la vampa 2-23480
14155b Gramophone 25-1-10
Vera Petrova-Zvantseva May night (Rimsky-Korsakov): Is she asleep?
with Vasili Damaev 024038 1922½c Gramophone 25-1-10
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