Mikhailov, Maxim Dormidontovich

Born on August 13 [25], 1893 in the village of Koltsovka (now in the Vurnarsky district , Chuvashia ) ^[1] in a poor peasant family.

He studied for two years in his village, then moved to a zemstvo school in the village of Koshlaushi , which was two kilometers from Koltsovka. On Monday, he left with a bag over his shoulders, with bread, and on Saturday - back home. In the Zemstvo school there was a choir in which he then sang a treble and was even a soloist ^[2] . Once, the brother of a village priest, teacher K. N. Polivanov, came to school. After listening to Maxim's singing, he took him to his school in the village of Betki , which is beyond Kazan . When the boy moved to the last class, the teacher began to develop his bass. By the end of the school year, Maxim was already singing in bass.

He was forced to leave home to work - he worked as a loader on the Volga marinas and at a fish factory in Kazan. Since 1909 he sang in church choirs. He began to sing in the church choir of the Spassky Monastery, at the same time he became a free-listener of pastoral courses.

In 1914 he graduated from pastoral courses and was ordained deacon to the Ufa Cathedral . He served as protodeacon in Omsk (1918-1921, Assumption Cathedral ), Kazan (1922-1923, he studied here with F. A. Oshustovich ), Moscow (1924-1930, the Church of Vasily Kesariysky ^[3] , at the same time took singing lessons from the singer Bolshoi Theater V.V. Osipova ).

In 1930, he left the ministry without removing his rank, and entered the opera troupe of the All-Union Radio Broadcasting Committee at the NKPT USSR (Moscow), where he was a soloist (1930-1932).

In 1932-1956 he was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR . He sang in 25 operas by Russian, Soviet and foreign authors.

Sang in concerts. He also performed as a performer of Russian folk songs (“Steppe and Steppe Around”, “Autumn Night”, “ Along St. Petersburg ”). The songs of Russian and foreign classics and Soviet composers worked out wonderfully.

During the war years (1941-1945) - in the 1st front brigade of the Bolshoi Theater.

Since 1951 he has toured abroad (East Germany, Italy, China, Norway, India, Korea, etc.). Participated in the international festival "Florentine Musical May").

He starred in the films “Cherevichki” (the role of Chub ), “Ivan the Terrible” (the episodic role of the protodeacon ), “Boris Godunov” (the role of Pimen ).

Died March 30, 1971 from gangrene of both legs. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery (plot number 7) ^[3] . Patriarch Pimen blessed him to be buried in vestments and commemorated as a protodeacon ^[4] . Before death, he received monastic tonsure ^[5] .

Family

• Wife - Alexandra Mikhailovna Mikhailova (1897-1980).
• Son - Igor Maksimovich Mikhailov (1920-1983), singer (bass), soloist of the Bolshoi Theater.
• Daughter - Valentina Maksimovna Mikhailova (1923-1977), lawyer, lawyer.
• Daughter - Ksenia Maksimovna Mikhailova (b. 1951), harpist, laureate of international competitions.
• Grandson - Maxim Igorevich Mikhailov (1962-2018), singer (bass), soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. People's Artist of the Chuvash Republic (1999).
• Grandson - Maxim Igorevich Mikhailov (1949-1958).
• Grandson - Vladimir Igorevich Mikhailov (1944-2006), engineer.
• Granddaughter - Alexandra Evgenievna Mikhailova (b. 1974) - harpist, laureate of international competitions, soloist of the Dortmund Opera House orchestra, Germany.

• Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1937) ^[6]
• People's Artist of the USSR (1940)
• Stalin Prize of the first degree (1941) - for outstanding achievements in the field of theatrical and vocal art
• Stalin Prize of the first degree (1942) - for the performance of the part of Chub in the opera performance "Cherevichki" by P. I. Tchaikovsky
• Order of Lenin (1951)
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1937)
• Medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."
• Medal “In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow”

The singer's voice was unique. Possessing the lowest variety of bass, he had extraordinary purity and luminosity high notes, which have high bass, although it is believed that low bass does not have the tops. At the same time, in low notes, he had the whole big octave, that is, the entire range of the opera profundo bass . The singer's singing was deeply folk. He embodied the best traditions of church and folk singing in opera parties. F. I. Chaliapin at the end of his life said: “The real bass is now only in Moscow - Maxim Dormidontovich Mikhailov ... The Bolshoi Theater has not become impoverished ... What voice does Mikhailov have. I even envy him ” ^[7] .

Famous parties:

• Ivan Susanin ( “Ivan Susanin” M. I. Glinka ) ^[1]
• Svetozar, Head ( "Ruslan and Lyudmila" M.I. Glinka)
• Miller ( The Mermaid by A. S. Dargomyzhsky )
• Monk ( “Stone Guest” A. S. Dargomyzhsky)
• Pimen, Varlaam, Mityukha ( “Boris Godunov” by M. P. Mussorgsky )
• Ivan Khovansky ( Khovanshchina by M. P. Mussorgsky)
• Konchak ( “Prince Igor” by A.P. Borodin )
• Santa Claus ( "The Snow Maiden" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov )
• Varyazhsky guest ( "Sadko" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Sobakin ( The Tsar’s Bride by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Ivan Sheloga (“ Boyar Vera Sheloga ” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Prince Yuri ( The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• shipbuilder ( "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov)
• Zaretsky, Gremin ( "Eugene Onegin" by P. I. Tchaikovsky ) ^[8]
• Chub ( Cherevichki by P. I. Tchaikovsky)
• Andrey Dubrovsky ( “Dubrovsky” by E. F. Napravnik )
• old convict ( "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk" by D. D. Shostakovich )
• General Listnitsky ( "Quiet Don" by I. I. Dzerzhinsky ) ^[1]
• Frol Damaskov ( “Virgin Soil Upturned” by I. I. Dzerzhinsky)
• Vakulenchuk ( "Battleship" Potemkin "" O.S. Chishko )
• the watchman ( "Huguenots" by J. Meyerbeer )
• Father Laurent ( Romeo and Juliet S. Gounod
• Zarastro (The Magic Flute by V. A. Mozart )

• 1941 - 1941 film concert - cameo, L. van Beethoven. "Scottish table"
• 1942 - Concert to the front - cameo, “Along the St. Petersburg” and “Yar-hops” (duet with I. Kozlovsky )
• 1943 - Concert dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Red Army - cameo, “Sailors” (duet with I. Kozlovsky ), “Volga Song”
• 1944 - Ivan the Terrible - Protodeacon
• 1944 - Cherevichki - Chub
• 1946 - Glinka - Osip Petrov
• 1951 - Grand Concert - cameo, Khan Konchak
• 1952 - Concert of masters of art (film performance) - Ivan Susanin
• 1953 - Songs of the homeland - cameo, "Along the Petersburg"
• 1954 - Boris Godunov - Monk Pimen

• In Moscow, at the house number 15 on Gorky Street (now Tverskaya St. ), where the singer lived, a memorial plaque was installed.
• In the village of Koltsovka (Chuvashia), where the singer was born, a bust of M. Mikhailov was installed.
• Since 1991, in memory of the singer, Cheboksary has hosted the annual Mikhail Mikhailov International Opera Festival, which attracts famous singers from many countries of the world. An indispensable participant in these music forums is the grandson of the singer Maxim Igorevich Mikhailov, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, People's Artist of the Chuvash Republic ^[9] .

• Cultural Heritage of Chuvashia
• Maxim Dormidontovich Mikhailov: deacon and famous bass
• Maxim Mikhailov. "Scottish table"
• Ҫулталӑк кӗнеки = Book of the year