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By Olga Fyodorova
…There is a small island lost amid the wide expanses of the Oka river.
It’s called A Bear’s Head. It’s an angler’s paradise in summer and Alexander
and his four brothers spent all their days there singing the happily nonchalant
boys’ songs as they fished.
“These guys are going to be singers all, that’s for sure…” the local villagers
smiled.
“Why singers?” objected the others. “Their grandfather had a low voice
that sounded like a bell and the dad was a great singer too… He never made
it on stage, though, and is still working as a carpenter….”
And still, four out of the five brothers eventually became professional
singers with the youngest, Alexander, becoming the most successful of them
all…
“At the age of 15, I suddenly lost my voice,” Alexander Pirogov recalled.
“It was down to some husky mumble and there was nothing I could do about
it… One day, as I was walking down our school corridor, I saw a group of
classmates gathered near the wall and laughing. Walking up closer, I saw
a piece of paper hanging on the wall showing a funny little guy in tails,
his mouth gaping open. The next moment I realized it was me! There
was a note under the whole thing going like this: “A voiceless bass. World
tour. A closing concert to be held in front of a local barn at Novoselky.”
I burst out laughing too, but I would rather cry my eyes out, you know…
Then I saw our teacher walking up to me. “I’ll meet you at the Bolshoi
Theater in Moscow, he said. I’m sure that, some day, you will be singing
there…”
His words miraculously came true and, ten years later, I was already a
lead singer there. I wish my teacher lived to see that…”
Without a fine bass, Russian opera just isn’t happening and after Fyodor
Chaliapin had emigrated, the Bolshoi was left high and dry without a good
bass singer to fill the void… Small wonder that the talented young singer
was very welcome there and entrusted the very challenging parts of Ivan
Susanin, General Gremin, Ivan the Terrible and the old Miller… Added to
the traditional roster of Russian classics were modern operas and European
masterpieces like Faust by Charles Gounod where he learned Mephistopheles’
part in a matter of just two weeks then moving on to take up Don Basilio’s
part in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In 1929, the 30 year-old bass
singer premiered performing the part of Boris Godunov in Modest Mussorgsky’s
opera of the same name.
Even though the premiere received glowing reviews, Alexander was not entirely
satisfied and kept working on until, 20 years later, he offered an absolutely
inimitable performance in a new rendition of one of the best Russian operatic
classics. It was amazing how easily this scion of a peasant family imitated
his character’s regal carriage and slow and imposing speech…
Alexander Pirogov owes the flourishing of his great talent primarily to
his workaholic attitude and to his obsession with music,” Boris Godunov’s
producer, Boris Pokrovsky later recalled. “After all those
years of singing Boris’ part, he would come out again and again singing
at full throttle, both physically and emotionally. He was a real workaholic
and his rehearsals often went well into the night. And the result is tell-telling
too!”
For his masterful performance of Boris Godunov, Alexander Pirogov was awarded
the country’s highest Stalin Prize and, invited to take part in a film
version of the great opera. When they took the film to an international
film festival in Venice, Pirogov was there and, even though Boris Godunov
received no awards, the Italian film academy coined a special medal in
Pirogov’s honor and local newspapers hailed him as the festival’s biggest
sensation…”
Alexander Pirogov shone on the Bolshoi’s stage for a staggering 30 years
but he was never carried away with success and always showed up hours before
the curtain went up, made himself up, and, fully dressed, headed for the
stage chatting with the workers and just walking around humming under his
nose, lost in thought…
He was everyone’s darling, admired by all for his friendliness, modesty,
hard work and, of course, his larger-than-life talent. During his 30-year
stint with the Bolshoi, he came out on stage more than a thousand times
singing in 43 operas!
Marking his 30th anniversary with Russia’s premier theater in 1954, Alexander
Pirogov said he was calling it quits. His colleagues wondered why should
someone want to leave now than his voice sounded with such young vigor
and freshness…
“It’s time to make way for the young,” Alexander said. “Just give me a
call whenever you need me and I’ll be there…”
He retired to his hometown on the Oka river only getting back to Moscow
for an occasional operatic appearance and, more often, singing in concerts,
fleshing out his new passion for chamber music…
In 1964 the Bolshoi Opera was preparing for their first ever performance
on stage of Milan’s venerable La Scala Theater. The tour was opening with
Boris Godunov and Pirogov was the natural choice for the opera’s main character.
He happily accepted the offer and, relaxing on his Oka river island in
June, was filling the air with powerful low-end rumbles rehearsing for
the Milan premiere…
…On June 25 the air was sizzling hot and it was only after dark that he
finally left home heading towards the riverbank. As usual, he scooped up
a handful of Oka water and, kissing it, took a plunge. Coming home, he
took a nap only to be awakened in the dead of night by severe heartache.
His son rushed towards the boat to fetch the doctor but when they got back,
it was already too late…
…There is a small island lost amid the sprawling expanses of the Oka River.
A mighty boulder rises up in front of a small wooden house. An inscription
on its face says that the outstanding Russian singer Alexander Pirogov
died here on June 26, 1964...
A steamship bearing his name has been shuttling up and down the river for
many years now and each time she sails past the Bear’s Head island, she
slows down and gives out a long whistle. Hearing the sound, locals say:
“It’s our Pirogov singing out there…”
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