Nicolai Ghiaurov (also spelled Nikolai Gjaurov or Nikolay Gyaurov; September 13, 1929, to June 2, 2004) was a Bulgarian opera singer and one of the most well-known basses after World War II. He was admired for his strong and rich voice, and he was especially known for singing roles written by composers Mussorgsky and Verdi. Ghiaurov married the Bulgarian pianist Zlatina Mishakova in 1956 and the Italian soprano Mirella Freni in 1978. The two singers often performed together. They lived in Modena, Italy, until Ghiaurov died in 2004 from a heart attack.
Biography
Ghiaurov was born in the small mountain town of Velingrad in southern Bulgaria. As a child, he learned to play the violin, piano, and clarinet. He began his musical studies at the Bulgarian State Conservatory in 1949, where he studied under Prof. Cristo Brambarov. Ghiaurov received a state scholarship and from 1950 to 1955, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory.
Ghiaurov's career started in 1955 when he won the Grand Prix at the International Vocal Competition in Paris and the First Prize and a gold medal at the Fifth World Youth Festival in Warsaw. In 1955, he made his operatic debut as Don Basilio in Rossini's The Barber of Seville in Sofia. In 1956, he moved to the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, where he performed his first role as Mephistopheles. In 1958, he made his Italian operatic debut at Teatro Comunale Bologna. He later began an international career with his performance as Varlaam in the opera Boris Godunov at La Scala in 1959. In 1962, Ghiaurov made his debut at Covent Garden as Padre Guardiano in Verdi's La forza del destino. He also performed for the first time in Salzburg, singing in Verdi's Requiem, conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
In 1961, Ghiaurov first performed with Mirella Freni in Genoa. She played Marguerite, and he played Mephistopheles in Faust. In 1978, they married and lived in Modena, her hometown. They performed together often in operas.
Ghiaurov made his U.S. debut in 1963 as Mephistopheles in Gounod's Faust at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He performed twelve roles with that company, including the title roles in Boris Godunov, Don Quichotte, and Mefistofele.
Ghiaurov made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera on November 8, 1965, as Mefistofele. He performed a total of 81 times in ten different roles there, with his final performance on October 26, 1996, as Sparafucile in Rigoletto. Throughout his career, he performed at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the Vienna State Opera, Covent Garden, and the Paris Opéra.
In the late 1970s, Ghiaurov sang the title role in the first complete stereo recording of Massenet's opera Don Quichotte. He was recorded many times, and his recordings include complete performances of many of his famous operatic roles, such as Don Giovanni, Don Basilio, Ramfis, Colline, Banco, Gounod's and Boito's Mephistos, and Boris Godunov, among others.
Ghiaurov and Mirella Freni performed together in many operas, including Simon Boccanegra at La Scala in 1971, Faust at Covent Garden in 1976, Don Carlos at Salzburg in 1976, and Ernani at La Scala in 1982.
In October 2000, at age 71, Ghiaurov performed at the 1st Herbert von Karajan Memorial concert in Ulm. He sang opera arias and duets by Cilea, Tchaikovsky, and Verdi with Mirella Freni.
In his obituary in Opera News, Martin Bernheimer wrote: "He had a remarkable voice, large in size, warm in tone, and deep in color. He used his powerful voice with ease, especially in the rich, high notes."
Videography
- The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala (1983), Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4538, 2009
- The Metropolitan Opera Gala of 1991, Deutsche Grammophon DVD, 00440-073-4582, 2010
Honour
Ghiaurov Peak is on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It is named after Nicolai Ghiaurov.