Atlantov, Vladimir (Andreievich)
Atlantov, Vladimir (Andreievich)
Atlantov, Vladimir (Andreievich), distinguished Russian tenor and baritone; b. Leningrad, Feb. 19, 1939. He studied with Bolotina at the Leningrad Cons., taking the Glinka Prize in 1962 and graduating in 1963. After making his formal operatic debut at Leningrad’s Kirov Theater in 1963, he was a student artist at Milan’s La Scala (1963–65). He was a medalist at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1966, and in competitions in Montreal and Sofia in 1967. In 1967 he became a member of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, with which he later toured with notable success to Milan, N.Y., Paris, and Vienna. From 1977 he also sang baritone roles. In 1987 he made his debut at London’s Covent Garden as Otello, one of his most famous roles. In 1990 he sang for the first time with an American opera company when he appeared as Canio with the San Francisco Opera. He returned to the San Francisco Opera as Tchaikovsky’s Hermann in 1993. In 1997 he appeared as Otello with Opera Pacific in Costa Mesa, Calif. He also toured extensively as a concert artist. In addition to the Russian repertoire, Atlantov is esteemed for his portrayals of Don José, Cavardossi, Alfredo, Radames, Posa, and Siegmund.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire