Bolshakov, Nikolai

views updated

Bolshakov, Nikolai

Bolshakov, Nikolai, Russian tenor; b. Kharkov, Nov. 23, 1874; d. Leningrad, Jan. 20, 1958. He studied in St. Petersburg, making his debut there with the Kharkov Opera Co. in 1899. In 1902 he went to Milan, where he studied voice with A. Brogi. He then sang with the Maryinsky Theater in St. Petersburg (1906–29), participated in the spectacles of Diaghilev’s “Russian Seasons” in Paris and London (1911–13), and also gave recitals. From 1923 to 1953 he taught voice at the Leningrad Cons. He was noted for his interpretations of Faust and Don José.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire