Baklanov (real name, Bakkis), Georgy (Andreievich)

views updated

Baklanov (real name, Bakkis), Georgy (Andreievich)

Baklanov (real name, Bakkis), Georgy (Andreievich), esteemed Latvian baritone; b. Riga, Jan. 17, 1881; d. Basel, Dec. 6, 1938. He studied at the Kiev Cons, and with Vanya in Milan. In 1903 he made his operatic debut in Kiev as A. Rubinstein’s Demon; after singing at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater and in St. Petersburg (1905–09), he appeared throughout Europe. On Nov. 8, 1909, he made his U.S. debut as Barnaba in La Gioconda in the first performance at the Boston Opera House, where he sang with notable success until 1911 and again from 1915 to 1917. On Feb. 16, 1910, he made his only appearance with the Metropolitan Opera as Rigoletto during the company’s visit to Baltimore. From 1917 to 1926 he was a member of the Chicago Opera. He later was a principal artist of the Russian Opera Co. of N.Y. In addition to Rigoletto, Baklanov was also highly praised for his portrayals of Prince Igor, Boris Godunov, Méphistophélès, and Scarpia.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

More From encyclopedia.com