Autographed postcard photograph as Prince Sinodal in Anton Rubinstein's opera "The Demon", November 18, 1949.

Lemeshev (1902-1977) was one of a triumvirate of superstar lyric tenors at the Bolshoi along with Ivan Kozlowsky and Ivan Zhadan during the 1930's, 40's and 50's. Zhadan escaped in the late 1940's to the United States which left the Kozlovsky and Lemeshev as the greatest tenors of the lyric fach in Russia. Their records were difficult to obtain outside of Russia and prized by collectors. Lemeshev had the less Slavic sound and a free voice with a true Italianate sound.

 The tenor studied with the lyric tenor Nazariy Raisky at the Moscow Conservatory graduating in 1925. He was admitted to the Bolshoi Theatre workshop program under Stanislavsky, making his debut as Lenski in "Yevgeny Onegin" in the program, a role he would sing over 500 times. He made his professional debut in 1926 in the Sverdlovsk opera and Ballet Theatre where he sung for one season. He then moved onto the Russian Opera Company of the China Eastern Railway where he sung from 1927-1929. From 1929-1931 he sung at the Tiflis Opera. He made his Bolshoi debut in 1931, where he was a part of the company until 1957 and then continued to sing there when he literally felt like singing until 1965. He contracted tuberculosis early in his life which once cured continued to plague him during his life and was the reason for his "early retirement" from the stage. That said, he sung at his 70th birthday concert, his final in 1972. After his retirement he taught opera performance and later was Professor of solo singing at the Moscow Conservatory. Lemeshev also had a large record catalog of complete operas, opera arias, lieder and romances as well as popular song. He was also a film star on the line of Mario Lanza in Russia.

Rare image!

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