Russian Arias & Songs

For thirty years, from 1960 to 1990, Nicolai Ghiaurov was an indispensable figure on the international operatic scene. His voluminous base, incisive delivery and imposing presence meant that he was in demand in every centre of opera. His range of roles stretched from Mozart and Rossini through Verdi and Puccini and many parts in the French nineteenth-century repertory to the rewarding roles written for basses in Russian opera. Although his voice had a distinctively Slav tinge, unlike other basses from Eastern Europe, even Chaliapin, he had the strength of tone and unfailing grasp of legato also to sing Italian repertory with true authenticity.

This 2CD set includes all his Russian recital material - in opera, art song and popular/folk song - for Decca, from the stunningly recorded 1962 and 1964 Russian arias with the LSO and Edward Downes; the recital of art songs by Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Glinka, Rubinstein and Dargomizhsky with his first wife Zlatina Ghiaurov.

Avuncular and a great colleague on stage, Ghiaurov also made a record with a traditional Russian ensemble. It includes the song Stenka Razin, which later achieved mass popularity in its Seekers hit 'The Carnival Is Over'.