Nikolai Gedda: biography and creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Nikolai Gedda is one of the world's most famous tenor opera singers. His brilliant, perfect performance of the most diverse parts of the classical repertoire, ranging from lyrical and dramatic operas to touching romances and Russian folk songs, deservedly earned him the reputation of a true vocal master.

Childhood

Nikolai Gedda was born in 1925 in Stockholm. His mother was Swedish and his father was half Russian. The parent of little Kolya got married a second time. And the boy's stepfather was an excellent singer. In exile, he sang in the Kuban Cossack choir, and then was a psalmist in Orthodox churches in Leipzig and Stockholm. It was he who became the first teacher and mentor of the future tenor.

The boy sang in the church choir. It was then that he, according to his own recollections, understood and realized that he was endowed with an undoubted musical gift. Then Nikolai Gedda felt in himself a love for music and absolute pitch. However, the difficult life of the family did not allow him to develop his voice professionally. Returning to his homeland in 1934, he graduated from the gymnasiumand became an ordinary employee, forced to earn a living for himself and his family.

Training

During the war years, he worked in the postal service and in the forest, helping his stepfather cut trees. According to the memoirs of the artist, at first his duties included packing parcels. Then he was responsible for the preparation of firewood. Nevertheless, these were very important years for him, because it was then that his love for music finally strengthened in him. And he decided to become a professional singer. Listening to the outstanding tenors of our time was of great importance to him. Nikolai Gedda enjoyed the voices of H. Rosvenge and Gigli on the radio, the magnificent performance of which prompted him to take up his own vocals.

At first he took lessons from the Latvian singer M. Vintere. But, according to the singer, she did not develop the technique he needed in him. But learning from M. Eman was of fundamental importance to him. The latter not only taught him how to properly control his voice, but also literally introduced him to the modern musical world. Thanks to him, tenor Nikolai Gedda began to receive a special scholarship. She allowed him to pay for the lessons and devote more time to music. Subsequently, he entered the Academy of Music as a volunteer.

First success

In the early 1950s, Swedish opera singer Gedda received his first recognition in the music world. At first, he received the part of the impostor in the opera Boris Godunov. Then he was invited to sing in Don Juan. The latest work was a huge success. public andthe critics were unanimous in their opinion that the young singer was ideal in the Mozart repertoire. The leading theaters of the world and famous composers immediately drew attention to the new performer. So, K. Orff immediately invited him to perform the part in the last part of his Triumphs trilogy, which finally consolidated the first success.

Career Growth

In the 1950s, Nikolai Gedda, whose biography is the subject of this review, performs on leading European stages. He tours a lot, sings at leading music festivals. His performance at the Metropolitan Opera, which marked the beginning of his constant collaboration with this theater for twenty seasons, dates back to the same time. Then he met the famous Russian vocalist P. Novikova, from whom he took lessons. According to him, her experience was of great importance to him. The next success of the performer was the part in the opera Manon. She turned out to be a triumph for the singer. On this stage, he sang his most famous parts of both French and Italian composers.

Russian repertoire

Russian music, both classical and folk, occupied an important place in his work. “Evening Bells” performed by him is one of the most exemplary solos in the world repertoire. His soft warm tenor perfectly matches the music and lyrics of this beautiful song. The singer especially appreciated the part of Lensky, which he brilliantly performed in the USSR. According to the soloist, he was attracted in this role by lyricism,combined with a deep dramatic image. He also brilliantly performed in Russian the main part in the opera The Queen of Spades. It should be noted here that the singer was fluent in Russian. In general, he knew seven languages, which allowed him to easily sing parts in a variety of repertoires.

Performance Features

The traditions of three schools have been combined in the singer's work. Russian roots and excellent training under the guidance of Ustinov allowed him to easily perform songs and parts from the musical repertoire of our country's composers. In the Soviet Union, his talent was appreciated. His performance of Tchaikovsky received rave reviews. He also sang folk songs well, for example, "Evening Bells". The second musical layer in his work is the bel canto technique, which is the basis of opera performance.

The manner of singing in this style was perfect and irreproachable, the musical line was unmistakable and continuous, which was rightly pointed out by many critics. They called this ability of the tenor an advantage over other performers. Finally, the third layer is an excellent drama school, which allowed him to easily perform the so-called "heavy" parts. Proof of the recognition of his talent are numerous awards and titles. N. Gedda is the author of interesting memoirs, in which he analyzed in detail his creative path and thoughtfully comprehended his career as an opera singer.