Vladimir Nikolaevich Petrov

Vladimir Petrov was born on February 6th, 1926 in Moscow. His voice was discovered during his military service. Petrov studied at the Moscow conservatory with Judin and Ozerov, and later at La Scala with Barra. Petrov won an international vocal competiton in Moscow (1960).

Petrov must have made his debut around 1961 at the Bolshoj, not in 1963 as claimed in Kutsch and Riemens (see the program in the pictures section).

Kutsch and Riemens indicate that Petrov sang at La Scala, the Paris Opéra, the Berlin Staatsoper, in Budapest, Warsaw and Firenze. This must be taken with a grain of salt as during the Bolshoj tour to Paris in 1970, Petrov's name does not appear in any review. Petrov recorded for Melodija: Khovanshchina, Vojna i mir/War and peace, Sadko, and Don Carlo.

Petrov died in Moscow in 2011.

Anatolij Orfjonov in the liner notes of a Melodija record lists the following repertory for Petrov:
Knjaz Igor, Faust, Tsarskaja nevesta, Dzhalil (by Nazib Zhiganov), Vojna i mir, Don Carlo, Khovanshchina, Semjon Kotko, Mazepa, Oktjabr, Boris Godunov, and Skazanie o nevidimom grade Kitezhe i deve Fevronii.

The copy of the Bolshoj program for Vojna i mir (1 September 1961 season opening which I attended) shows in the main parts: Petrov, Kibkalo, Vishnevskaja; in lesser roles: Arkhipova, Maslennikov, Ejzen; in even lesser parts: Valajtis, Reshetin, Gres; the comprimario Vlasov sang different small roles and Krivchenja was singing Kutuzov while Lisitsian was Napoleon, with a much weaker voice than Krivchenja.

I wish to thank Vladimir Efimenko, Daniele Godor and Vera Lyakhova for their help preparing the material.

I wish to thank Vladimir Efimenko for the recording (Macbeth).