On 20 November the opera Mazepa at the historic Mariinsky Theatre will be dedicated to the memory of two outstanding Kirov-Mariinsky Theatre performers who formed a veritable operatic dynasty – Olga Kashevarova, People’s Artist of the RSFSR, and Andrei Khramtsov, Honoured Artist of Russia.
In her very first years at the Kirov Theatre Olga Afanasievna Kashevarova sang roles that brought her the admiration and love of the public – Olga in The Maid of Pskov, Leonora in Il trovatore and Micaëla in Carmen. With her powerful and beautiful voice and vivid acting talents combined with sincerity, warmth and enchanting femininity, Kashevarova created the ideal image of Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, which remained unsurpassed for many years. The artistic range of the singer was staggering for its scale and underlined not only her brilliant vocal skills but also her equally brilliant ability to reinvent herself. When he decided to stage the opera Mazepa in 1950 Ilya Shlepyanov chose Olga Kashevarova specifically as one of the performers of the role of Maria. Her interpretation was inspired and expressive, and with amazing ease the singer was able to convey the mental anguish of her heroine, adding subtle intonations and features and creating an atmosphere of tragic doom.
Twelve years later Olga Kashevarova’s son Andrei Ivanovich Khramtsov joined the Kirov Theatre’s trainee group. Not having planned to link his life with music, it was only after several years of study at the Leningrad Institute of Airplane Construction that Khramtsov was inspired to continue the family tradition. For a record forty-five years of service to opera he sang around one hundred roles including Mazepa in one of the first performances following the revival in 1966. Later he went on to sing the role of Orlik in that opera, which was more suited to his timbre. His pliant and expressive voice, exceptional acting skills and subtle feeling of the ensemble brought the singer the love of the audience. Andrei Khramtsov successfully combined his artistic career with administrative work – for many years he headed the Mariinsky Opera. Today, continuing the family tradition, his daughter Yulia works at the theatre.
For the anniversary dates, in the foyer of the historic Mariinsky Theatre there will be an exhibition dedicated to Olga Kashevarova and Andrei Khramtsov. The exhibition will feature photographs recording the performers in various roles from the Mariinsky Theatre’s repertoire as well as their stage costumes.
| user_name | | Exit |
