ChaliapinFeodor (1873-1938)

( Фёдор Иванович Шаляпин)

Russian bass

Feodor Chaliapin

Chaliapin performed in touring opera companies from the age of 16. He studied singing on his own.

A member of the troupe of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg from 1894 to 1898, he was hired by the Bolshoi in 1899. From then on, he toured Europe, the United States and Australia on a regular basis. Chaliapin quickly established himself not only as "the Boris Godunov of the century", but also as a memorable Mephistopheles, both in the opera by Gounod and Boito's operas. His interpretations of Dossiféï (Mussorgsky : La Kovantchina) and Salieri (Nikolaï Rimski-Korsakov: Mozart and Salieri) are still considered immortal.

Chaliapin was allowed to leave the USSR on March 31, 1922 for a foreign tour, and never returned. He settled first in Finland, then in Paris.

An accomplished artist, Chaliapin lived with the times: his audio and film recordings give us a glimpse of his immense talent.

Discover the artist's world through various documents: each image opens the door to one of his interpretations, his portraits in civilian clothes, his autographs or press articles about him from the period