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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Mihail Mikisha (1885)  






Born on 25th of May in Mirgorod, Ukraine. Dramatic tenor. People’s Artist of the Ukranian Soviet Socialistic Republic (1971).
Father of the pianist and composer Taras Mikisha.
Born into a poor peasant family. As a child sang in school and church choirs.
In 1903 graduated from the Mirgorod Art and Industry College with the diploma of painter and sculptor.
Took part in revolutionary movement and was arrested in 1903.
In 1904-10 studied vocal in N.V.Lysenko Kiev Musical-Dramatic School (class of M.Zotova, from 1906 – A.Mishuga). During his studies lived in the home of the compoer Nikolay Lysenko where he had met the famous writers M.Kocybinsky, I.Franko, L.Ukrainka, the composer N.Stycenko, the actors M.Zankoveckaya, P.Saksagansky, N.Sadovsky and other prominent cultural figures of Ukraine.
During the Russian Civil War sang before Red Army soldiers.
In 1910 made his debut in the role of Jontek (“Halka”, S.Monyushko) on the scene of N.K.Sadovsky Kiev Ukraine Musical-Dramatic Theater, where he performed till 1914.
In 1914 made his debut in the role of Faust on the scene of Kiev Opera Theater, where he performed till 1923.
From 1919 – director of the Ukraine Theater of Musical Drama.
In 1923-30 – soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. In 1930-31 – soloist of the Baku Opera Theater.
In 1931-41 – soloist of the Kharkov Opera Theater. In 1942—44  – soloist of the Kiev Opera Theater.
Among his roles: Imposter-King, German, Duke, Vakula, Grishka Kuterma, Canio, Rhadames, Jose, Cavaradossi.
Had a beautiful, powerful voice of wide diapason, good breathing, had fine style and was dramatically gifted, paid great attention to the intricacies of acting. Started with performing in lyric roles, but from 1919, acting on the advice of the legendary Russian tenor Leonid Sobinov started performing in dramatic roles only.
Had more than 50 roles in his repertoire.
Performed alongside such singers as F.Chaliapin, T.Ruffo, M.Battistini, O.Boronat, K.Derzhinskaya, A.Didur, M.Litvinenko-Volgemut, N.Obukhova, P.Cesevich.
Such figures as R.Gliere, A.Melik-Pashaev, I.Kozlovskiy, M.Reizen, A.Yablochkina, M.Rylskiy gave high appraise to his singing.
Also gave concerts.
In 1944 stopped performing.
From 1919 - taught in N.V.Lysenko Kiev Musical-Dramatic School, from 1937 – Kharkov city conservatory, from 1944 – Kiev conservatory (from 1946 – professor).
Among his pupils: V.Budnevich, Z.Gayday, A.Grigoriev, S.Kogan, F.Maksimenko, K.Malashenko, G.Pavalovskaya, M.Rybalkin, A.Serdyuk, M.Stefanovich, A.Syrovatko, N.Chubenko.
Died on 20th of November 1971 in Kiev.