Dear Gentlemen,

In this blog I have tried to assemble a list of prominent Soviet tenors – tenors behind the Iron Curtain – singers the careers of which went largely obscure from the Western public because of the political realities of the era they were part of – realities which dictated the detachment of the Soviet opera from its Western counterpart.
It just so happened that these times were the Golden Era of the Russian Opera, and the voices that were hidden behind the Iron Curtain were of a remarkable quality.
In addition to that, the revival of these voices in the West is also of much interest because of the unique character and the idiosyncratic nature of the Soviet school of operatic singing, which was different from the Western in many aspects.
By “voices behind the Iron Curtain” I mean those artists whose entire career or a significant part of it developed during the most ideologically radical years of the Soviet rule and the Soviet Union’s disconnection from the West, and not those who had already established a name for themselves in an earlier period, or those who have only started their way in Soviet Union’s very last days or are singing well into the present – both are more familiar to the Western public.
In cases of some of the singers the information and the recordings presented here is all that is left of them, and in some cases appears for the first time in the internet, or in English and for the Western public.

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Janis Zabers (1935)





Lyric-dramatic tenor. Acclaimed Artist of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (1965).
Born in the village of Vecceplis in Meirani region of Latvia into a family of a wealthy peasant.
His father and brother sang and played on different instruments, creating their own chapel. Zabers first started to play piccolo, then cithara, and later guitar and piano. On family events he often sang Latvian songs.
With the encouragement of his teachers in Meirani and Lubana he enrolled into the vocal department of Jazeps Medins’ College in Riga, where he was told he was a baritone. He started performing compositions of Alfreds Kalnins, Emils Darzins, Jasephs Medins and already in that stage showed great musicality, impeccable diction and phrasing.
After his third year in college he began to study in the Vocal department of Latvian conservatory (class of A.Vilumanis), finishing his studies one year ahead of his classmates.
During the years of his studies he participated in concerts organized by the Music Fund of the Composers’ Union of the Latvian Soviet Republic, drawing a lot of attention and being highly praised.
On the third year of his studies in the conservatory he performed in his first opera role – Narabot in the opera “Salome” by Strauss. In the same year he performed in “Faust”, and in the autumn of 1962 he even sang alongside Jerome Heins, who complimented the talent of the young singer.
His flawless melodic style and beautiful “shining” timbre made him stand out among the young Latvian singers, and soon after he had finished his studies he was chosen to go to Italy to perfect his skills (1962). He was the only Latvian singer to be sent to study in Italy during the Soviet years. He started his studies in the conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome and then received an invitation to be a stagier in La Scala Theater in Milan under the guidance of professor Gennaro Barra (1964). In Italy he studied, perfected and recorded his favorite role - Rudolph from “La Boheme”. Many critics consider his rendition to be one of the best of all times. His other monumental work was the role of Cavaradossi in “Tosca”.
It is said that his studies in Italy made his voice more “juicy”, lighter and tenderer, it was rich in nuances and with wide diapason, temperamental, sensual and charming. He also had the looks to suit – many of his contemporaries said he was the most handsome man they have ever seen. In addition to that he was also very expressive and a great actor on stage. Although his voice was lyric by nature, he was equally impressive in dramatic roles. For example, he excelled in the role of Herman in “The Queen of Spades”, surprising many critics who said he could not sing in this highly dramatic role.
After his studies in Italy he performed in various Opera houses all over USSR – in Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldavia, Azerbaijan and others. Even in Moscow he was received with great anticipation and interest.
Among his other roles: Alfredo, Turridu, Pinkerton, Vladimir (“Prince Igor”), Andrei Khovanski (“Khovanshchina”, M.Mussorgsky).
Zabers represented Latvia in international festivals, for example 1967 EXPO in Canada, Latvian Cultural Days in Finland (1968), Latvian Cultural Days in East-Germany (1972).
In 1960-73 he was a soloist in Latvian Opera Theater.
Beside operatic roles and Latvian songs his repertoire included Neapolitan songs, songs of Schubert, Glinka, Grieg, Rachmaninoff.
In late 60-ies Zabers started developing health problems, which affected his work, but which he kept in secret until the very last moment. In 1971 he was given the diagnosis of brain cancer. He underwent several operations, but doctors could not save his life. His career was brilliant but short-lived. He had died on 25th of March 1973.