Kozlovsky, Ivan Semenovich

Ivan Kozlovsky was born on March 11 (24), 1900 in the village of Maryanovka (now Vasilkovsky District , Kiev Region , Ukraine ) into a peasant family.

From the age of 7 he sang in the choir of the Mikhailovsky Monastery in Kiev, where he was noticed by the spiritual composer A.A. Koshits . Soon he began to sing in the choir of the Trinity People’s House in Kiev (the theater of N.K. Sadovsky ), later - the soloist of the Bolshoi Academic Choir.

In 1917-1920 he studied at the Higher Music and Drama Institute. N. Lysenko (now the Kiev National University of Theater, Cinema and Television named after I.K. Karpenko-Kary ) (vocal department, class E. A. Muravyova ).

During his service in the Red Army (1920-1923) in Poltava, he participated in the performances of the Poltava Mobile Music and Drama Theater (since 1922). He sang his first major part in this theater - Faust ( Faust by S. Gounod ). In 1924 - in the troupe of the Russian State Opera in Kharkov (now the Kharkov Opera and Ballet Theater named after N.V. Lysenko ). In 1925-1926 - soloist of the State Opera House. A. V. Lunacharsky in Sverdlovsk (now the Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater ) ^[3] .

In 1926 he was invited to the Bolshoi Theater ( Moscow ). He made his debut in the role of Alfred ( La Traviata by J. Verdi ), from the first years of service in the theater, performing the main tenor parts, gained popularity and a lot of admirers, in the late 1930s he became one of I. Stalin's favorite singers.

In the late 30s he also performed with the USSR State Jazz Orchestra created in 1936 under the direction of V.N. Knushevitsky . There are several recordings left by a singer and a jazz orchestra of specially written pop and jazz works for him (the tango “Arbor” and the blues “Morning and Evening”).

In 1938 he created the State Opera Ensemble of the USSR and became the artistic director of this group (1938-1941). He acted as an opera director. He staged a number of operas, playing the main parts in them ( Werther by J. Massenet , Pagliacci by R. Leoncavallo , Orpheus and Eurydice by K. Gluck , Mozart and Salieri by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov , Katerina N N. Arkas , “ Gianni Schicchi ” by J. Puccini ).

In 1945 he toured in Romania and Czechoslovakia.

In 1954, at the peak of popularity, he left the Bolshoi Theater forever. The reasons for this decision are still not fully known.

The films “Singer Ivan Semenovich Kozlovsky” (1960) and “Ivan Semenovich Kozlovsky” (1978) are devoted to the singer. In 1983 he starred ( cameo ) in the film " And Life, and Tears, and Love ."

The author of the book: “Music is my joy and pain”, Moscow, 1992.

I.S. Kozlovsky died on December 21, 1993 in Moscow. The funeral service was held on December 24 at the Bolshoi Theater ^[4] . He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery (plot number 10).

Family

• The first wife is actress Alexandra Alekseevna Gertsik (1886-1964) (since 1920).
• The second wife is actress G.E. Sergeeva (1914-2000).
  • Daughter Anna Ivanovna Kozlovskaya (1938-2007).
  • Daughter Anastasia ^{[5] [6]} .

• Hero of Socialist Labor (1980)
• Honored Artist of the RSFSR (June 2, 1937)
• People's Artist of the USSR ( 1940 )
• People's Artist of Ukraine ( March 3, 1993 ) ^[7]
• Stalin Prize of the first degree ( 1941 ) - for outstanding achievements in the field of vocal and dramatic art
• The Stalin Prize of the first degree ( 1949 ) - for the performance of the part of the Holy Fool in the opera Boris Godunov by M. P. Musorgsky
• State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR named after T. G. Shevchenko (1990) - for the development and enrichment of Ukrainian musical culture and concert performances of recent years
• Five Orders of Lenin (1939, 1951, 1970, 1976, 1980)
• Order of the Badge of Honor (1937)
• Medal “For Valiant Labor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin "
• Medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."

Concert activity occupied a large place in the creative life (he performed since 1919). The singer’s repertoire included songs from different nations, primarily Russian and Ukrainian, ancient Russian romances, and classical songs by Western composers.

Often in his programs included works that are somehow related to religious subjects. For example, he performed and recorded a number of works by I.S. Bach (arias from the cantatas and the book of the tunes of Shemeli ). He also participated in concerts of Russian sacred music, rare for that time. Records of his solo in the Vespers by S. V. Rachmaninov , in the Prudent Robber by P. G. Chesnokov and a number of other Orthodox chants have survived to this day.

Prepared and recorded a program consisting of Ukrainian Christmas carols. The carols were recorded and performed from the stage.

According to N. D. Shpiller , “Kozlovsky’s voice has never been particularly powerful. But the free extraction of sound, the ability to concentrate it allowed the singer to “cut through” large spaces. Kozlovsky can sing with any composition of the orchestra and with any ensemble. His voice always sounds clear, sonorous, without a shadow of tension. Respiratory elasticity, flexibility and fluency, unsurpassed ease in the upper register, honed diction - a truly impeccable vocalist, over the years bringing his voice mastery to the highest degree of virtuosity ... ” ^[8]

Among the singer’s best works, experts single out the parts of the Holy Fool ( Boris Godunov ), Duke ( Rigoletto ), Loengrin ( Lohengrin ), Dubrovsky ( Dubrovsky ), Indian guest ( Sadko ), Lensky ( Eugene Onegin ) ) B. A. Pokrovsky described the singer’s creative contribution as follows: “I. S. Kozlovsky is a bright page in the history of Russian opera art. The lyrics of an enthusiastic poet from Tchaikovsky's opera; the grotesque of the Prokofiev prince in love with three oranges; Berendey, an eternally young beauty contemplator and Rimsky-Korsakov , singer of the “distant India of Miracles”, the radiant messenger of the Grail Richard Wagner ; the seductive duke of Mantua J. Verdi , his own troubled Alfred; a noble avenger Dubrovsky ... Among a large list of superbly performed roles, there is in the creative biography of I. S. Kozlovsky and a true masterpiece - the image of the Holy Fool in M. Musorgsky’s opera Boris Godunov. The creation of a classical image in the opera house is a very rare phenomenon ... " ^[8] P. Pichugin wrote:" ... Lensky Tchaikovsky and the Holy Fool Musorgsky. It is difficult to find in all Russian opera classics more dissimilar, more contrasting, even to a certain extent alien in their purely musical aesthetics, images, and meanwhile, Lensky and the Foolish are almost equally the highest achievements of Kozlovsky. ... There are roles in the world theater (there are not many of them!) That have long merged in our view with this or that outstanding actor. Such is the holy fool. He will forever remain in our memory as the Holy Fool - Kozlovsky ” ^[8] .

The singer made a great contribution to the musical treasury of Russia, visiting villages, listening, processing and performing village tunes, romances, suffering. So, he found, recorded and performed the romance “ I met you ... ”, which later became extremely popular with singers. I. S. Kozlovsky performed on stage until 87 years old.

Kozlovsky and Lemeshev

I. S. Kozlovsky and S. Ya. Lemeshev performed at the Bolshoi Theater at the same time, in the 1930s and 1950s. In this regard, a curious creative confrontation of fans and, mainly, fans of these singers (the so-called “goat-ladies” and “lemeshists”) was noted ^[9] . Both tenor artists were idols of pre-war Moscow. Both tenors were vocal masters who gave the Soviet scene many new, strongest images. I.S. Kozlovsky was characterized by a sense of sharp, caustic humor, he performed characteristic roles with great brilliance. The talent of S. Ya. Lemeshev was most fully revealed in lyrical, romantic parties. Together, Kozlovsky and Lemeshev sang in 1948 for O. L. Knipper-Chekhova at the anniversary of the theater.

Some opera parts

Movie Acting

• 1942 - Front Concert - singer, vocal parts: “Harlequin”, “Yar Hop”
• 1943 - Concert dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Red Army
• 1951 - Big concert - Vladimir ("Prince Igor") / Lensky "Eugene Onegin"
• 1954 - Boris Godunov (opera film) - holy fool
• 1958 - Poem about the Sea - Kobzar
• 1967 - The Highest ... (film production)
• 1983 - And life, and tears, and love - a cameo

Discography

(full recordings of operas)

• 1937 - “ Eugene Onegin ” by P. I. Tchaikovsky - Vladimir Lensky ; with P. M. Nortsov and E. D. Kruglikova
• 1941 - “ Prince Igor ” by A.P. Borodin - Vladimir Igorevich ; with A. I. Baturin , S. G. Panova and N. A. Obukhova
• 1947 - La Traviata by J. Verdi - Alfred ; with E.V. Shumskaya and P.G. Lisitsian
• 1947 - “ Romeo and Juliet ” by S. Gounod - Romeo ; with E.V. Shumskaya
• 1947 - “ Faust ” by S. Gounod - Faust , version with M.O. Reisen , E.V. Shumskaya and I.P. Burlak
• 1948 - “Faust” by S. Gounod – Faust , version with A. S. Pirogov , E. V. Shumskaya and P. G. Lisitsian
• 1948 - The Seville Barber by J. Rossini - Count of Almaviva , version with N. A. Nelina
• 1948 - “Eugene Onegin” by P. I. Tchaikovsky - Vladimir Lensky ; with A. A. Ivanov and E. D. Kruglikova
• 1948 - “ Boris Godunov ” by M.P. Mussorgsky - The Fool , version with A. S. Pirogov
• 1949 - "Boris Godunov" by M.P. Mussorgsky - the Holy Fool , version with M.O. Reisen
• 1949 - “ Rigoletto ” by J. Verdi - Duke ; with A. A. Ivanov and I. I. Maslennikova
• 1949 - “ Werther ” J. Massenet - Werther '; with M.P. Maksakova
• 1950 - " Sadko " N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov - Indian guest ; with G.M. Nelepp and E.V. Shumskaya
• 1950 - " Demon " by A. G. Rubinstein - the Synodal ; with A.P. Ivanov and T.E. Talakhadze
• 1951 - " Mozart and Salieri " by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov - Mozart ; with A. S. Pirogov
• 1952 - " Orpheus and Eurydice " by K. V. Gluck - Orpheus ; with E.V. Shumskaya
• 1953 - "Cio-Cio-san" (" Madame Butterfly ") J. Puccini - Pinkerton ; with E.V. Shumskaya
• 1953 - The Barber of Seville by J. Rossini - Count of Almaviva ; with V. M. Firsova , I. P. Burlak and M. O. Reisen
• 1953 - " Lohengrin " R. Wagner - Lohengrin ; with E. V. Shumskaya and S. G. Panova
• 1955 - “ Dubrovsky ” by E. F. Napravnik - Vladimir Dubrovsky ; with A.P. Ivanov and N.S. Chubenko
• 1955 - " Bohemia " by J. Puccini - Rudolph ; with E.V. Shumskaya, A.V. Yakovenko and I.P. Burlak
• 1957 - The Mermaid by A. S. Dargomyzhsky - Prince ; with E. F. Smolenskaya , A. F. Krivcheney and V. I. Borisenko
• 1957 - "Lohengrin" R. Wagner - Lohengrin ; with E.V. Shumskaya and E.F. Smolenskaya
• 1957 - The Snow Maiden by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov- Berendey ; with V. M. Firsova and G. P. Vishnevskaya
• 1983 - " Pebble " S. Monyushko - Yontek ; with E. N. Zimenkova and I. A. Morozov

• In Kiev, the name of the singer named the lane of Ivan Kozlovsky ( Pechersky district ), where on October 8, 2008 a monument to the artist was unveiled ^[10] (sculptor V.I. Znoba).
• The name of I. Kozlovsky is the music school in Moscow ^[11] , at which the Foundation and the Museum are located. I. S. Kozlovsky ^[12] .
• A postage stamp and a commemorative coin of Ukraine were issued in his honor.
• In 2010, the author, director and producer, laureate of international and national competitions, Yulia Kovalenko made the documentary "Ivan Semenovich Kozlovsky: Faith ... Hope ... Love ...". This film is a study, an attempt at an emotional analysis of the personality structure of the Christian Orpheus. “Three telenovelas piercing in their emotional-emotional intensity make me return to them again and again ... And to me, constantly looking for answers to the eternal and main questions in life, they were given.” (From a newspaper review of the film "Ivan Semenovich Kozlovsky: Faith ... Hope ... Love ...", March 2011)
  Yulia Kovalenko for the first time included in the film a unique record of her last interview with I. S. Kozlovsky (shortly after the meeting, in December 1993, he passed away), as well as a rare chronicle with his participation, which have never been shown on the screens of Russia and others countries. About I. S. Kozlovsky - not only as an artist, but also as a unique personality unknown to the general public, the film recalls Bel Rudenko, Tatyana Doronina, Galina Pisarenko, the departed Bella Akhmadulina and Alexander Korneev; sisters Mikhoels, as well as relatives and friends of the artist.
• In 1995, a charity foundation was established to support the opera and ballet art. I.S. Kozlovsky.
• In 2001, in honor of the centenary of I. S. Kozlovsky, by the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the decision of the Kyiv City Council, the Creative Living Room for Masters of Opera and Ballet Art “The Spiritual Heritage named after Ivan Kozlovsky” was created. In 2006, the Creative Living Room named after Ivan Kozlovsky released a double disc "Forever with Ukraine" with recordings from the archive of Ukrainian radio. In 2011, the living room was reorganized.
• In 2013, as a result of the reorganization, the I. Kozlovsky Art and Concert Center of the Kiev National Academic Operetta Theater was created - a multifunctional theater and concert cultural institution. Address: Kiev, st. Khreshchatyk, 50-b.
• In a small homeland in the village of Maryanovka, a monument to the work of Ignashchenko A. N.

• The story of V. Yu. Dragunsky “ Glory to Ivan Kozlovsky ”
• Poem V.V. Erofeev " Moscow - Petushki "

• Kozlovsky, Ivan Semenovich (Russian) . Site " Heroes of the country ".
• Kozlovsky Ivan Semenovich: He gave a voice like bread
• "I SING A SWEET VIOLIN ..."
• THIS IS DIRECT AND GREAT KOZLOVSKY
• SECRET OF ETERNAL YOUTH IVAN KOZLOVSKY
• Federal Agency / Milestones of Culture
• Biography on the website Belcanto.ru
• The grave of Ivan Kozlovsky