17.04.2017
Paata Burchuladze Appointed Artistic Director of the Mikhailovsky Opera
On 1 July, the post of Artistic Director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre’s opera company will be taken up by Paata Burchuladze. Musical Director and Principal Conductor Mikhail Tatarnikov will introduce him to the opera company on 18 April.
Paata Burchuladze will not only be taking on the role of Opera Director at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, but will also continue to perform as a vocalist. He will be playing the part of Don Basilio in Éric Vigié’s production of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, which will be premiering in September. In this respect, his role in the life of the Theatre will be akin to that of ‘player-coach’ in the world of sport.
Paata Burchuladze is an operatic bass. A native of Georgia, he considers himself a representative of the Russian vocal school, and is therefore referred to as a Russian bass, wherever he may be performing. He speaks Georgian, Russian, English, Italian, and German, and holds the title of People’s Artist of the Georgian SSR.
Paata Burchuladze was born in 1955, and completed his music school studies as a pianist. He went on to combine classes at the vocal faculty of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire with studies at the Tbilisi Polytechnic Institute. He undertook an internship at the Odessa Conservatoire, and continued his professional education at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan under Giulietta Simionato. In 1982 he was winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition. This success would launch an outstanding international career. Following an audition at Covent Garden in 1984, he was offered a contract for the part of Ramfis in the premiere of Aida under the direction of Zubin Mehta, where he was partnered by Katia Ricciarelli and Luciano Pavarotti. This was to be the beginning of a lasting friendship between Paata Burchuladze and Luciano Pavarotti, who performed together on a number of occasions. The gifted young opera singer from the USSR then came to the attention of the great conductor Herbert von Karajan, who invited Burchuladze to an audition in Salzburg. It was under Karajan that he sang the part of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival. The conductor has compared Burchuladze’s bass to that of Chaliapin.
Paata Burchuladze will not only be taking on the role of Opera Director at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, but will also continue to perform as a vocalist. He will be playing the part of Don Basilio in Éric Vigié’s production of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, which will be premiering in September. In this respect, his role in the life of the Theatre will be akin to that of ‘player-coach’ in the world of sport.
Paata Burchuladze is an operatic bass. A native of Georgia, he considers himself a representative of the Russian vocal school, and is therefore referred to as a Russian bass, wherever he may be performing. He speaks Georgian, Russian, English, Italian, and German, and holds the title of People’s Artist of the Georgian SSR.
Paata Burchuladze was born in 1955, and completed his music school studies as a pianist. He went on to combine classes at the vocal faculty of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire with studies at the Tbilisi Polytechnic Institute. He undertook an internship at the Odessa Conservatoire, and continued his professional education at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan under Giulietta Simionato. In 1982 he was winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition. This success would launch an outstanding international career. Following an audition at Covent Garden in 1984, he was offered a contract for the part of Ramfis in the premiere of Aida under the direction of Zubin Mehta, where he was partnered by Katia Ricciarelli and Luciano Pavarotti. This was to be the beginning of a lasting friendship between Paata Burchuladze and Luciano Pavarotti, who performed together on a number of occasions. The gifted young opera singer from the USSR then came to the attention of the great conductor Herbert von Karajan, who invited Burchuladze to an audition in Salzburg. It was under Karajan that he sang the part of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival. The conductor has compared Burchuladze’s bass to that of Chaliapin.
