Ivan Alchevskyj

Picture of Ivan Alchevskyj

Picture of Ivan Alchevskyj as Jean
Jean

Picture of Ivan Alchevskyj as Raoul
Ivan Alchevskyj as Raoul

Picture of Ivan Alchevskyj as Lohengrin
Lohengrin
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).
Ivan Alchevskyj singsSadko: Ne schest almazov v kamennykh pishcherakh (Song of the Indian Guest)
Black G&T G.C.- 2-22512 (Stamper II), matrix 1712x, St. Petersburg 1903, 74 rpm, 3.2 TC stylus
In RA format

Ivan Alchevskyj singsLohengrin: In fernem Land (in Russian)
In RA format

Ivan Alchevskyj singsRoméo et Juliette: Ah, lève toi soleil
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).
Repertory

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.

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