Sergei Leiferkus has trodden the boards for over forty-five years, adored by the public throughout his career and a sought-after on-stage partner among the most demanding colleagues. The abundance and variety of character roles in Leiferkus’ repertoire have always led critics to speak of the universal nature of his talent. If one attempts to define Leiferkus’ image, a magnificent blend of artistic and vocal skills, one would have to use the now forgotten term of “baritone-noble”.
It was just such a singer that Yuri Temirkanov required when he resolved to invite Sergei Leiferkus – then still a soloist at the Maly Opera – to perform a lead role in the Kirov Theatre’s ground-breaking production of War and Peace (1977). Following the singer’s stunning debut as Andrei Bolkonsky there came a veritable catalogue of outstanding roles, among them Don Carlo in La forza del destino and Amonasro in Aida, Yeletsky and Tomsky in The Queen of Spades, Escamillo in Carmen, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Rossini’s Figaro. One true masterpiece came with the role of Chichikov in Shchedrin’s opera Dead Souls. One image created in the consciousness of several generations of audiences at the Kirov-Mariinsky Theatre and identifiable with the character of the singer himself is Leiferkus’ Eugene Onegin. The audience awaited the appearance of this aristocrat with the same excitement as Pushkin’s Tatiana, and with the same delight followed each phrase, movement and turn of the head. For his “gold-standard” image as Onegin the singer was awarded the State Prize. One must also remember his Ruprecht in The Fiery Angel, Iago in Otello, Rangoni in Boris Godunov and Prince Igor in Borodin’s eponymous opera which he performed at the Mariinsky Theatre under the management of Valery Gergiev.
Engagements at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, the Teatro alla Scala, the Wiener Staatsoper and recordings with outstanding conductors have all made the singer’s name famous throughout the world. The list of roles he has mastered – numbering more than fifty – makes us bow down before the titanic power of his talent. In just the last few years alone the singer has made several debuts including bass roles such as Boris Godunov, Guglielmo Tell, Filipp Filippovich in Alexander Raskatov’s opera A Dog’s Heart and Pontius Pilate in Sergei Slonimsky’s The Master and Margarita. In November he will be taking part in the first production of Hungarian composer Péter Eötvös’ opera Senza sangue (directed by Dmitry Chernyakov).
The Mariinsky Theatre is commemorating the singer’s anniversary with a concert performance of Aleko in which Sergei Leiferkus will perform the title role.
Synopsis
Gypsies have set up camp on a river bank. Aleko is amongst the gypsies; it is now two years since he has turned his back on city life and roamed with the gypsies. An old gypsy, the beautiful Zemfira’s father, remembers the days of his own youth and unhappy love. Mariula remained faithful to him for just one year: abandoning her young daughter, she left him for another. The old man's tale draws a wrathful response from Aleko: he would never forgive such treachery and would attempt to take revenge.
The gypsies wish to dispel the gloom brought by the old man's tale with merry dancing. Zemfira, until recently passionately in love with Aleko, has grown weary of him. As the camp settles down for the night the girl agrees to meet her new lover, a young gypsy.
Rocking a cradle, Zemfira sings about an old, jealous and unloved husband. "I'm singing a song about you," she snaps at Aleko. As night falls, Zemfira leaves.
Aleko sinks into bitter contemplation. An exile, "scorning the fetters of enlightenment", it seemed that he had already found happiness among the freedom-loving gypsies. But the idea of Zemfira's infidelity makes him despair. In the distance the young gypsy can be heard singing. Dawn breaks. Zemfira bids her lover farewell. She makes haste, but Aleko is already there. In vain he tries to reawaken Zemfira's love and, overcome with jealousy, he kills the lovers. The gypsies rush to the scene on hearing the commotion. Zemfira's father and the rest of the camp demand that the killer leave them. Aleko despairs – he is alone once more.
