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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David Andguladze (1895)





Born on 3rd of October in a village of Bahvi, Kutaisi province. Dramatic tenor. People's artist of the USSR (1950).
Sang Georgian folk songs as a child, and people used to say he had a “golden” voice.
When he was 18 years old he went to the concert of a legendary Georgian tenor Vano Saradjishvili and the memory of that concert remained with him for the rest of his life. The young Andguladze told himself he would be “exactly like him”.
Fought in World War I. Was wounded and shell-shocked.
In 1927 graduated from Tbilissi city conservatory (class of professor E.A.Vronsky).
His debut on the operatic scene was in 1926.
From 1927-1929 was a soloist of the Stanislavsky Theater in Moscow.
In 1929-33 and 1935-1955 was a soloist of the Tbilisi Theater of Opera and Ballet.
In 1933-1935 was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater.
Was a member of the Communist party from 1946.
Among his roles: Herman, Imposter Prince, Rudolf, Werther, Raoul, Manrico, Arnold, Levko, Jose, Canio, Rhadames, Tariel (“Skazanie o Tariele”, Mshvelidze, Abesalom (“Abesalom i Eteri”, Paliashvili), Malhaz (“Daisi”, Paliashvili), Shota (“Skazanie o Shota Rustaveli”, Arakishvili).
Had a voice of a very wide diapason of more than two octaves, which was even and voluminous in all registers, with radiant and light timbre, but also power.
Worked on his technique for his whole career, especially on breathing and voice “covering”. His breathing technique enabled easy and free voice emission, and voice “covering” enabled reaching the highest tones with ease. At some point of his career he tried to sing with the “abdominal” sound, but that caused his voice to become more heavy and unsteady, and he switched to the technique of “paradoxical breathing” of the famous Russain laryngologist L.Rabotnov. The famous Russian singers Sergey Migay and Elena Katulskaya also helped him to find the right technique for him.
The famous producers K.Mardjanishvili, A.Ahmeteli, A.Cucunava, N.Smolic, I.Tumanov took a great liking to him and loved working alongside him.
Was a close friend of Constantin Stanislavski.
In 1946 started pedagogical work, and from 1958 he was a professor of the Tbilissi city conservatory. Among his pupils are Zurab Andzaparidze, Zurab Sotkilava, Vladimir Kandelaki, his son - Nodar Andguladze.
Received the Stalin Premium (1947).
Received the Lenin Sign and the Sign of the Red Banner of Labor.
Died on 29th of November 1973 in Tbilissi.

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