Lemeshev, Sergei (Yakovlevich)
Lemeshev, Sergei (Yakovlevich)
Lemeshev, Sergei (Yakovlevich), prominent Russian tenor; b. Knyazevo, near Tver, July 10, 1902; d. Moscow, June 26, 1977. In his youth, he worked at a cobbler’s shop in Petrograd; then went to Moscow, where he studied at the Cons, with Raysky, graduating in 1925. He made his operatic debut at Sverdlovsk in 1926; then was a member of the Kharbin Opera in Manchuria (1927–29) and at the Tiflis Opera (1929–31). In 1931 he joined the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and gradually created an enthusiastic following; he remained on its roster until 1961 and was particularly admired for his performance of the role of Lensky in Eugene Onegin; in 1972, on his 70th birthday, he sang it again at the Bolshoi Theater. Other roles in which he shone, apart from the Russian repertoire, included Faust, Romeo, Werther, Alfredo, and the Duke of Mantua. He also made numerous appearances in solo recitals; he was the first to present an entire cycle of Tchaikovsky’s songs in 5 concerts. His autobiography was publ. in Moscow in 1968.
Bibliography
M. Lvov, S. L (Moscow, 1947); E. Grosheva, S. L. (Moscow, I960).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire