Leonid Vitalyevich Sobinov

1872 Jaroslavl – 1934 Riga

Sobinov Museum in Jaroslavl
Leonid Vitalyevich Sobinov was born on June 7th (May 26th), 1872 in Jaroslavl. He finished grammar school in Jaroslavl (1890) with a silver medal. Sobinov, despite a fine voice, was not going to become a singer, although he sang in the chorus at the Demidov church. In 1894, Sobinov finished his law studies at the Moscow university, and then trained at the office of the famous lawyer F. N. Plevako. 1895–99, Sobinov was an assistant to the lawyer. During his student years, he sang in the university chorus. At about the same time (1892–97), he was a member of the musical-drama school of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. Sobinov took part in performances of Italian opera troupes (the Sobinov chronology published in Russian does not mention those performances) and in concerts, popularizing vocal chamber work by Russian composers. In 1897, Sobinov made his stage debut at the Bolshoj as Sinodal in Demon by Rubinstein. He also sang at the opera houses of of Saint Petersburg (mainly the Mariinskij). Sobinov went on tour across Siberia and the Far East, to Warsaw, Riga, Tallinn, Berlin, Paris. From 1904 to 1911, Sobinov sang in:

Milan, 8 December 1904: Don Pasquale (14 performances); 17 December 1905: Fra Diavolo (7); 14 January 1906: La traviata (15); 29 March 1906: Manon; 17 March 1911: Roméo et Juliette (8)
Madrid, 17 January 1908: Manon (4); 24 January 1908: Mefistofele (4); 12 February 1908: Les pêcheurs de perles (2)
Monte-Carlo, 3 February 1907: Don Pasquale (4); 6 February 1907: Rigoletto (2); 17 March 1907: Mefistofele (3)
Berlin with the troupe of the Monte Carlo Opera, 23 March 1907: Mefistofele (2)

After the October Revolution in 1917, Sobinov – besides performing at the opera house – was involved to expose the masses to classical music: as director of the Bolshoj in 1917–18 and in 1921. Sobinov was one of the biggest representatives of the Russian classical vocal school. Sobinov had a distinguished, unique, captivating voice (with a radiant silvery timbre), virtuosity, dramatic talent, high culture, softness, tenderness; but did not exclude courage and power. Sobinov got deeply involved into the inner world of the heroes, and the composers' wishes. Sobinov was also a master of vocal chamber music, a keen interpreter of romances by Glinka, Chajkovskij, Rimskij-Korsakov and Rachmaninoff. He appeared for the last time as Lohengrin on May 24th, 1933 at the Bolshoj. Sobinov died unexpectedly on October, 14th, 1934 in Riga from a heart attack. He is buried in Moscow at the Novodevichye cemetery.
Leonid Sobinov singsWerther: O ne budi menja
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsRusalka (Dargomyzhskij): Mne vsjo zdes na pamjat (Unwillingly to these sad shores) (1)

Leonid Sobinov singsRusalka (Dargomyzhskij): Mne vsjo zdes na pamjat (Unwillingly to these sad shores) (2)
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsSnegurochka: Ukhodit den vesjolyj
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsMefistofele: Giunto sul passo, in Russian
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsLohengrin: Umchalas pesnja vdal, with Antonina Nezhdanova
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsEvgenij Onegin: Ja ljublju vas, Olga (I love you, Olga)
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsMignon: Chistoj dushoj svoej

Leonid Sobinov singsHalka: Mezh gorami veter voet (1)
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsHalka: Mezh gorami veter voet (2)
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov sings Sred shumnogo bala (In the midst of the ball)
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsRafaehl: Strastyu i negoju serdtse trepeshchet
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsRoméo et Juliette: Ah lêve-toi, soleil, in Russian
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsManon: O chudnyj mig
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsLes pêcheurs de perles: V sijanii nochi lunnoj
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsKnjaz Igor: Medlenno den ugasal (Daylight is fading)

Leonid Sobinov singsEvgenij Onegin: Kuda, kuda vy udalilis 1
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsEvgenij Onegin: Kuda, kuda vy udalilis 2
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsMajskaja noch: Spi, moja krasavitsa (Sleep, my beauty)
In RA format

Leonid Sobinov singsLohengrin: Mein lieber Schwan

Sobinov as a baritone
Source for the biographical notes and additional recordings.
I would like to thank Thomas Silverbörg for the recordings (Majskaja noch, Mein lieber Schwan).
Source for eighteen recordings, the extraordinary site Russian Records.

Repertory

Demon – Moscow, Bolshoj, 24 April 1897
Ruslan i Ljudmila (Bajan) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 4 September 1897
Knjaz Igor – Moscow, Bolshoj, 19 January 1898
Evgenij Onegin – Moscow, Bolshoj, 13 April 1898
Faust – Moscow, Bolshoj, 16 April 1898
Tannhäuser (Walther) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 4 September 1898
Halka – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 6 September 1898
Pesn torzhestvujushchej ljubvi (composer: Simon) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 26 October 1898
Rigoletto – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 8 November 1898
Zabava Putjatishna – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 3 January 1899
Rybaki (composer: Simon) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 23 February 1899
Rusalka (Prince) – Odessa, Gorodskoj Teatr, 7 June 1899
Mazepa – Moscow, Bolshoj, 9 September 1899
Lakmé – Moscow, Bolshoj, 9 November 1899
La traviata – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 14 November 1899
Le cheval de bronze – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 30 January 1900
Judif – Moscow, Bolshoj, 10 February 1900
Printsessa greza (composer: Blejkhman) – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 1 October 1900
Snegurochka – Moscow, Bolshoj, 19 December 1900
Angelo (composer: Cui) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 4 January 1901
Boris Godunov (Grigorij) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 13 April 1901
Syn mandarina – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 11 November 1901
Roméo et Juliette – Moscow, Bolshoj, 25 October 1902
Mefistofele – Moscow, Bolshoj, 3 December 1902
Mignon – Moscow, Conservatory, 19 March 1903
Les pêcheurs de perles – Moscow, Novi Teatr, 3 December 1903
Marta – Moscow, Conservatory, 16 February 1904
Werther – Moscow, Conservatory, 12 March 1904
Don Pasquale – Milano, Scala, 21 December (western calendar) 1904
Fra Diavolo – St. Petersburg, Novyj Letnij Teatr, 13 November 1905
Manon – Milano, Scala, 11 April (western calendar) 1906
Lohengrin – Moscow, Bolshoj, 10 December 1908
Majskaja noch – Moscow, Bolshoj, 6 October 1909
Ruslan i Ljudmila (Finn) – Moscow, Bolshoj, 18 November 1909
Kavkazskij plennik – Moscow, Bolshoj, 16 December 1909
La bohème – Moscow, Bolshoj, 19 January 1911
Orfeo ed Euridice – St. Petersburg, Mariinskij, 21 December 1911
Dubrovskij – Moscow, Bolshoj, 27 November 1913
Tosca – St. Petersburg, Teatr A. S. Suvorin, 24 February 1914
Also Falstaff, Der fliegende Holländer and Pagliacci are said to have been in Sobinov's repertory. However, I could not find any dates for any of these three operas.
Reference: Leonid Vitalyevich Sobinov, 2 volume set, Moscow, 1970
Discography

private cylinder, Moskva 1899 or 1900
       The quiet garden fell asleep (?)

G&T, St Petersburg March 1901
2655A  Rusalka (Dargomyzhskij): Unwillingly to these sad shores           22259 (7")
2656A  Angelo (Cui): I live only for you (Song of Rodolfo)                22260 (7")
2657A  Zabava Putjatishna (Ivanov): All quietly in your garden            22273 (7")
2658A  Printsessa greza (Bleichman): Love is a delightful dream           22271 (7")
2659A  Demon (Rubinstein): I'll turn into a falcon                        22277 (7")
2660A  Knjaz Igor (Borodin): Daylight slowly fades                        22333 (7")
2661A  Majskaja noch (Rimskij-Korsakov): Sleep my beauty                  22272 (7")
2662A  Kavkazskij plennik (Cui): I await deliverance from torment         22275 (7")
2663A  Halka (Moniuszko): The wind howls among the hills                  22276 (7")
2664A  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): Whither, whither have you gone       22274 (7")
2665A  Snegurochka (Rimskij-Korsakov): Mighty nature is full of wonders   22263 (7")
2666A  Halka (Moniuszko): Thought                                         22261 (7")
2667A  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): At your house                        22264 (7")
2668A  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): I love you Olga                      22262 (7")

G&T, St Petersburg 1901-06?
263b   Rusalka (Dargomyzhskij): Unwillingly to these sad shores           22519
264b   Halka (Moniuszko): The wind wails in the hills                     22526
265b   What happiness (Davidov)                                           22527
266b   Rigoletto (Verdi): La donna è mobile                               22495
267b   Knjaz Igor (Borodin): Daylight slowly fades                        22480
268b   Dobrynja Nikitich (Grechaninov): Blossoming in flowery fields      22532
269b   Majskaja noch (Rimskij-Korsakov): Sleep my beauty                  22524
270b   Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): Whither, whither have you gone       22523
271b   Behind the window in the shadow (Chajkovskij);
       I do not know how to dispel my melancholy (Nikolaev) 		  22533
272b   Barcarolle (Gounod)                                                22528
273b   Zabava Putiatishna (Ivanov): All quietly in your garden            22502
274b   Snegurochka (Rimskij-Korsakov): Mighty nature is full of wonders   22500

G&T, St Petersburg 1904
1968L  Dobrynja Nikitich (Grechaninov): Blossoming in flowery fields      2-22646
1969L  Rusalka (Dargomyzhskij): Unwillingly to these sad shores           2-22654
1970L  Rigoletto (Verdi): La donna è mobile                               2-22647
1971L  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): At your house                        2-22655
1972L  Majskaja noch (Rimskij-Korsakov): Sleep my beauty                  2-22648
1973L  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): I love you Olga                      2-22649
1974L  Zabava Putjatishna (Ivanov): All quietly in your garden            2-22659
1975L  Mignon (Thomas): Elle ne croyait pas                               2-22660
1976L  Martha (Flotow): Ach so fromm                                      2-22650
1977L  Mefistofele (Boito): Giunto sul passo                              2-22651
1978L  Demon (Rubinstein): I'll turn into a falcon                        2-22652
1979L  Demon (Rubinstein): In the dark night                              2-22656
1980L  Knjaz Igor (Borodin): Daylight slowly fades                        2-22661
1991L  Lakmé (Delibes): Fantaisie aux divins mensonges                    2-22662
1992L  Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Je crois entendre encore               2-22653
1993L  Werther (Massenet): Pourquoi me réveiller? (75)                    2-22657
1994L  Resting here is pleasant (Nikolaev)                                2-22658
192m   Roméo et Juliette (Gounod): Ah lêve-toi soleil                     022077
193m   Halka (Moniuszko): The wind howls amongst the hills                022080
194m   Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): Whither, whither have you gone       022079
195m   Faust (Gounod): Salut demeure                                      022078

Pathé, St Petersburg 1908?
27301  Rusalka (Dargomyzhskij): Cavatine of the Prince                    27301
27302  Halka (Moniusko): Dumka of Jontek                                  27302
27303  Werther (Massenet): Chant d'Ossian                                 27303
27304  Roméo et Juliette (Gounod): Cavatine                               27304
27305  Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Serenata                                 27305
27306  Mefistofele (Boito): Serenata di Faust                             27306
27307  Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Romance de Nadir                       27307
27308  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): Lenski's aria                        27308
27309  Fra Diavolo (Auber): Barcarolle                                    27309
27310  Rigoletto (Verdi): Canzonetta                                      27310

Gramophone, probably Moskva, probably 1910
LX     Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): Kogda by zhizn domashnim krugom	  LX

Gramophone, Moskva 1910-01-23/02-05
1979c  Lohengrin (Wagner): Mein lieber Schwan                             022137, DB895, M0254 
1980c  Werther (Massenet): Pourquoi me réveiller?                         022138, DB891, M0255
1981c  Manon (Massenet): En fermant les yeux                              022139, DB894, VB19, M0256 
1982c  Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Je crois entendre encore               unpubl

Gramophone, Moskva 1910-01-24/02-06
1983c  Lohengrin (Wagner): Das süße Lied (w. Nezhdanova)                  024032, DB895, M0316 
1984c  Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Par cet étroit sentier (w. Nezhdanova) 024037, DB896, M0317 
1985c  Dobrynja Nikitich (Grechaninov): Blossoming in flowery fields      022150, M0258
14204b Dobrynja Nikitich (Grechaninov): Blossoming in flowery fields      unpublished
1986c  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): Whither, whither have you gone       022140, DB889, AGSB86, M0257 
1987c  Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet): Je crois entendre encore               022161, DB896, VB19, M0260 
1988c  Majskaja noch (Rimskij-Korsakov): Sleep my beauty                  unpublished
1988½c Majskaja noch (Rimskij-Korsakov): Sleep my beauty                  022162, DB890, ABHB7, M0261 

Gramophone, Moskva 1910-01-30/02-12
2002c  Soldier's song – The last day (trad) (w. chorus)                   unpublished
2002½c Soldier's song – The last day (trad) (w. chorus)                   022151, M0259

Gramophone, St Petersburg 1911-02-14/02-27
2213c  Halka (Moniuszko): The winds howls amongst the hills (74)          022197, DB892     
2214c  Mignon (Thomas): Elle ne croyait pas                               022198, DB894, M0262
2215c  Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Cercherò lontana terra                   unpublished
2215½c Don Pasquale (Donizetti): Cercherò lontana terra                   022202, DB891, M0265
2216c  Snegurochka (Rimskij-Korsakov): The joyous day departs             022199, DB890, ABHB7, M0263  
2217c  Rafaehl (Arenskij): My heart trembles                              022200, DB893, VB45, M0264

Gramophone, Moskva 1911-10-17/10-30
2513c  Rusalka (Dargomyzhskij): Unwillingly to these sad shores           022242, DB893, VB45, M0266  
2514c  Mefistofele (Boito): Giunto sul passo estremo                      022246, M0269  

Gramophone, Moskva 1911-10-18/10-31
2515c  Demon (Rubinstein): I'll turn into a falcon                        022247, M0270
2516c  Evgenij Onegin (Chajkovskij): I love you, Olga                     022243, DB889, AGSB86, M0267 
2517c  At the ball (Chajkovskij)                                          022244, DB892, M0268
Source for the discography: www.78opera.com (defunct)
Additions from Gesellschaft für historische Tonträger, Wien
Go Home