Some stories about Fyodor Chaliapin

It was me!

Chaliapin began his artistic career when, at the age of fifteen, he applied to the management of the Kazan Theater with a request to hear him and include him in the choir. But due to a voice mutation, he sang extremely poorly in the audition. Instead of Chaliapin, they included a lanky nineteen-year-old with a monstrous “okay” accent in the chorus.

Chaliapin remembered his first fiasco for the rest of his life and hated his lanky competitor for a long time. Many years later, Chaliapin met Maxim Gorky in Nizhny Novgorod and, among other things, talked about his first singing failure.

Gorky laughed.

– Dear Fedenka, it was me! However, I was soon expelled from the choir because I had no voice at all.

debut

Chaliapin’s debut on the opera stage was very memorable. Chaliapin was the main extra in the theater at that time. He was entrusted with the wordless role of the cardinal, who was to solemnly walk the stage accompanied by his entourage. Before Chaliapin went on stage for the first time in his life, he was so worried that his legs and arms were shaking. He spent a long time explaining their duties to the dumb young extras, secretly expecting the hall to gasp at their majestic procession.

Follow me and do everything just like me! he ordered his entourage and entered the stage.

But as soon as he took a step, Chaliapin stepped on the edge of his long red cloak in excitement and collapsed straight to the ground! The entourage accompanying the cardinal decided it should be so, and fell too! The lead actor heroically tried to get to his feet to get out of the baggy coat – it was futile. Floating in cardinal’s robes, he crawled across the stage on all fours! And behind him, also trembling convulsively, the entourage crept …

The audience laughed loudly. As soon as Fedor Ivanovich was backstage, the angry director grabbed him and let him down the stairs, giving the future decoration of the Russian stage a good kick in the butt.

Don’t forget to take me with you!

Chaliapin had a secretary and assistant, Peter, who protected the singer from annoying journalists and theater critics.

On one of his trips around Europe, a well-known music critic visited the singer’s hotel. The secretary met him.

“Fyodor Ivanovich is busy now,” he said. I’m ready to answer all your questions.

— What plans does Maestro Chaliapin have for the near future? asked the music critic.

– We go to Milan, where we sing at La Scala, then in London we give a concert in honor of the English king, then we go to Paris …

“Right, Pyotr,” Chaliapin’s voice thundered from the next room. Just don’t forget to take me with you!

nostalgia

Once Chaliapin entered the opera stage. The orchestra gave an introduction, but… the big bass was silent. The confused conductor repeated the introduction again. Chaliapin, without opening his mouth, sadly looked around the hall, shook his head in dismay and … left. The excited owner of the opera flew to him in the dressing room:

– Fyodor Ivanovich, my dear! Don’t ruin! The hall is full… You cut me without a knife! ..

The singer looked at him from under his brow and exhaled:

“I can’t today, you know. Longing, brother…

And added indifferently:

– Write the losses to my account …

It’s time to leave

Once, at the time of the revolution, Chaliapin came to his friend, the artist Korovin, and immediately complained:

— The devil knows what it is! I was ordered to speak to the mounted sailors today. Tell me, for God’s sake, what are riders?

“I don’t know what horse-drawn gliders are,” Korovin replied somberly, “but you need to get out of here…

I’m not against searches, but…

During the revolution, Chaliapin’s house was often searched at night. They were looking for “bourgeois values”: diamonds and gold, but they didn’t scorn silver spoons and forks either.

After one of these night raids, Chaliapin complained to Zinoviev:

– I understand – a revolution … And basically I’m not against searches, but is it possible to search me at a time convenient for me, for example, from eight to nineteen?

Haha!

Once an amateur singer came to Chaliapin and asked rather unceremoniously:

– Fedor Ivanovich, I need to rent your costume in which you sang Mephistopheles. Don’t worry, I’ll pay!

Chaliapin struck a theatrical pose, took a deep breath and sang:

— Flea kaftan?! Ha-ha-ha-ha!..

no quail

The opera Don Carlos was once performed in the Bolshoi Theater. King Philip’s party was sung by Chaliapin, the Grand Inquisitor – Vasily Petrov.

It must be said that Petrov admired Chaliapin’s genius, and Chaliapin, in turn, greatly appreciated Petrov’s voice and talent.

Before beginning the third act, Petrov said to Chaliapin:

“But I will sing you today, Fedya!”

– No, Vasya, do not overdo it! replied Chaliapin.

– I’ll drink!

– No, don’t overeat!

The act has begun.

Petrov, who had a powerful voice, completed the movement with a thunderous roar that drowned out the orchestra and filled the entire theater – from the stalls to the gallery.

In a split second, Chaliapin realized that this could no longer be blocked. And King Philip unexpectedly answered the words of the Grand Inquisitor… in a whisper. He whispered his remark in absolute silence, and from these words, which Chaliapin uttered with genius, an ominous chill literally blew through the hall.

The success was complete and the ovation lasted several minutes.

As the curtain closed, Chaliapin jokingly winked at Petrov:

– That’s it! And you scream at the top of your lungs! ..

real art

A dispute arose among artists about what art was. Chaliapin, who had been listening, imperceptibly withdrew to another room. Suddenly he jerked open the door, and stood on the threshold, pale as death, with tousled hair, trembling lips, eyes filled with terror, and cried:

– Fire!

Panic arose, screams … But Chaliapin suddenly laughed:

Now do you understand what art is?

Source: izbrannoe.com

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