Ivan Alchevskyj
Ivan Oleksijovych Alchevskyj was born in Kharkiv on December 15th, 1876. His father was an industrialist. Ivan Alchevskyj was trained to sing by his brother Hryhorij. From 1896 to 1901, he studied at the Kharkiv university. In 1901, he made his debut at the Mariinskij, as the Indian guest. Ivan Alchevskyj sang there until 1905. He perfected his studies by taking lessons from both Jean de Reszke and Félia Litvinne in Paris. From 1905, he sang outside Russia: Brussels 1905/1906 (among others, Armide on November 7, 1906 with Renaud, Declery, Bourbon, François, Dognies, Mme Litvinne, Mme Bourgeois, Mme Maubourg, Mme Carlhant, Mme Eyréams, Mme Das, Mme Lambert, Sylvain Dupuis – total 40); Covent Garden 1906, New York 1906, Monte-Carlo 1909, Algeria 1912, Paris 1908–10 and 1912–14. 1910–12 and 1915–1917, Ivan Alchevskyj was the first tenor at the Bolshoj. He is said to have had perfect pitch and a range going up to E (!!). Among his best roles were José, Raoul, Radames, and Samson. Alchevskyj was one of the best Wagnerian singers in Russia: Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, and Siegfried. He died suddenly in Baku during a performance on April 26th, 1917. He recorded only once in 1903 (8 records).
I wish to thank Otto Striebel for the recording (Sadko). I wish to thank Richard J Venezia for the recording (Lohengrin). I wish to thank Vladimir Efimenko for the pictures (3 bottom) and recording (Roméo et Juliette). Sadko (Indian guest) – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 18 September 1901 Faust – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 4 December 1901 Demon – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 9 October 1902 Servilija – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 14 October 1902 Ruslan and Ludmila (Bajan) – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 27 November 1902 Cordelia – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 9 December 1902 Les huguenots – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 11 April 1903 Lohengrin – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 25 April 1903 The saracen – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 9 September 1903 Lakmé – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 23 September 1903 Roméo et Juliette – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 10 October 1903 Pskovitjanka – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 6 November 1903 Feramore – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 18 December 1903 Poslednee svidanie (composer: Shenko) – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 24 January 1904 The life for the tsar – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 31 March 1904 Sadko (Sadko) – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 13 April 1904 Der Freischütz – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 16 September 1904 Rogneda – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 7 October 1904 Boris Godunov (Shujskij) – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 9 November 1904 La traviata – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 20 December 1904 Armide (Rinaldo) – Brussels, Monnaie, 1905/6 Alceste – Brussels, Monnaie, 1905/6 Printsessa Luch Solitsa – Brussels, Monnaie, 1905/6 Evgenij Onegin – London, Convent Garden, 26 June 1906 Dinorah – New York, Manhattan, 1906/7 La Navarraise – New York, Manhattan, 1906/7 Samson et Dalila – Moscow, Zimin Opera, 19 October 1907 La bohème (Leoncavallo) – Moscow, Zimin Opera, 29 January 1908 Carmen – Moscow, Zimin Opera, 8 March 1908 Pagliacci – Moscow, Zimin Opera, 11 March 1908 La cabrera – Moscow, Zimin Opera, 11 March 1908 Aida – Moscow, Bolshoj, 25 March 1908 Hippolyte et Aricie – Paris, Opéra, 13 May 1908 Rigoletto – Paris, Opéra, 10 December 1908 Tannhäuser – Paris, Opéra, January 1909 Le cobzar – Monte Carlo, Garnier, 3 February 1909 Salammbô (Shahabarim) – Paris, Opéra, 1910 La damnation de Faust – Paris, Opéra, 1910 Tannhäuser (Walther) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 1910/11 Die Götterdämmerung – Moscow, Bolshoj, 10 October 1911 (he sang the role probably earlier that year in Paris) Natalka Poltavka – Moscow, Ukrainian Company, 18 March 1912 Snegurochka – Moscow, Bolshoj, 11 April 1912 Siegfried – Moscow, Bolshoj, 24 April 1912 Le coq d'or – Paris, Opéra, 6 May 1914 Scémo – Paris, Opéra, 26 April 1914 Parsifal – Marseille, Opéra, 1914 Pikovaja dama – St. Petersburg, Narodni dom, 10 Janaury 1915 Mefistofele – St. Petersburg, Narodni dom, 1915 Zaporozhets za Dunajem – Moscow, Bolshoj, 15 September 1915 La Juive – St. Petersburg, Narodni dom, 4 March 1916 Le prophète – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 26 November 1916 Kamennyj gost – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 27 January 1917 Reference: P. Ivanovskij & K. Miloslavskij Ivan Alchevskij, Vsesojuznoe izdatelstvo sovetskij kompozitor, Moscow 1972 I wish to thank Vladimir Efimenko for the biographical notes. |
