Lemeshev is great! for me -this is a part of my life, of my youth. I was a big fan of Lemeshev, never missed any of operas in bolshoi theater with him singing. He was my hero, my ideal, he was a very good looking man. In those time I was 16.....All my girlfriends, all of us were in love with him.
It is a real pity that the entire performance was not filmed Lemeshev was and is superior both in the purity and brilliance of tone and spontaneity, both characteristics non-existent on the operatic stage and in the vocal departments of universities, colleges and conservatories today.
1941...Stalin, WW2.... a miracle.... it was saved for history and we all can enjoy now.. thank you very much for uploading this video and to everyone from USSR at 1941 who made one!
this is absolutely wonderful! I am actually discovering your videos at the moment. Apart from Lemeshov's great singing, whole video is very beautiful and so attractive to my eyes. Thank you so much for posting this video. This is a great experience for me!
Siempre me a fascinado Lemeshev, su fraseo , gracia , su aire aristocrático, aunque en ocasiones su vibrato me resulta un poco molesto , pero es uno de los pocos que se acerca a lanza en esta exquisita versión.
Quite in contrary, the censorship was very strict in film and theatre . Especially in film, and this video is a part of the film- concert. But it looks like the Soviet censorship was less strict than the American one :) Corelli was taller and more handsome without makeup, but I prefer Lemeshev as a singer and actor .
Not only. But it is much better to sing in clear Russian than incomprehensible Italian. (Check Placido Domingo for Lensky aria from Eugen Onegin - it is impossible to listen being a native Russian speaker).
And let's face it, even if you do know the language, it's no guarantee of anything. The tenors are from everywhere, so are the operas, and their languages rarely coincide.
Натали, В каком месяце 41-го года был записан этот концерт? Это был концерт фронту? Или это было записано до 22 июня? В октябре немцы стояли под Москвой. Где был саписан этот концерт? Можете ли Вы спросить у Ваших родителей? Спасибо.
An the 19 cen -beginning of the 20 cen. Operas usually have been translated in each country. Since the 50th-60th there is a tradition to sing in the original language,.
@TheInimitableKaka Every one of the Lemeshev recordings I've listened to so far are a half-step high. So either he liked to sing in a higher key or the transfers are at the wrong speed. Most likely the latter because they often seem a little fast as well. Too bad. He is very good, I'd like to hear what he really sounds like.
Unfortunately, the complete movie doesn't exist:( This video is just a "number" from the film-concert. Lemeshev didn't even record complete "Rigoletto", though he sang it for 25 years. Stupid Soviet system.
I have a question. Previously I found a libretto for this written in Cyrillic and took my time to search for these very arias (can't speak Russian, btw) and while listening to the extracts and reading it from the libretto, simultaneously, in both songs could only recognise half-aria as completely accurate so not understanding what he sang in the other parts. Is he singing them in accordance to the text or is there some kind of variation on it?