Patrick Bade
Great Singers of Imperial Russia
Summary
The lecture provides a fascinating insight into the history of opera in Russia during the 18th and 19th centuries, focusing on the influence of notable singers and the development of opera houses across the Russian Empire. It highlights the exotic luxury of opera as an import to Russia during this time, with composers, operas, and top singers often being imported from other countries. The lecture discusses renowned singers like Adelina Patti and Mattia Battistini, as well as homegrown talents like Olimpia Boronat and Antonina Nezhdanova. The presentation includes excerpts from famous operatic performances.
Patrick Bade
Patrick Bade is a historian, writer, and broadcaster. He studied at UCL and the Courtauld Institute of Art. He was a senior lecturer at Christie’s Education for many years and has worked for the Art Fund, Royal Opera House, National Gallery, and V&A. He has published on 19th- and early 20th-century paintings and historical vocal recordings. His latest book is Music Wars: 1937–1945.
No, some did, but quite a lot went to one of the two centres where most singers went to study from any country - either Milan or Paris.
Yes, there’s quite a few of those Russian singers went to Paris and had. In fact, most of the singers I mentioned today did go to Paris. Some got to New York, but particularly Kuznetsova was world-class.
Nearly everything was in Russian. But certainly, when the foreign singers came to Russia, they didn’t sing in Russian. But people didn’t seem to mind having bilingual performances right up to the Second World War.