CHALIAPIN, FEODOR


Meaning of CHALIAPIN, FEODOR in English

or Fyodor Shalyapin

born Feb. 13, 1873, near Kazan, Russia

died April 12, 1938, Paris, France

Russian singer.

Born a peasant, he received little early musical training, but his talent led to his taking leading roles with a touring opera company in his teens. Coached by Dimitri Usatov (1847–1913), he had debuts in St. Petersburg (1894) and Moscow (1896), where he played Boris Godunov, the role he would be most associated with. These led to his triumphant 1901 La Scala debut as Mefistofele. His imposing stage presence and fine acting gave him a popularity second only to that of Enrico Caruso .

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.