The unique voice of Leonid Vitalievich Sobinov appeared at the age of seventeen. His lyric tenor captivated listeners in many countries. This became possible thanks to the talent, attractive appearance and great hard work of the performer, a combination of classical foundations and his own approach to each image.
Childhood and youth
Leonid was born in 1872 in Yaroslavl. In the family of the merchant Vitaly Vasilyevich Sobinov, a patriarchal way reigned. None of the children received a musical education, but Lenya, along with his older brother Sergei, bought a guitar with their own money and slowly mastered it. The boys' hobby was supported by the mother. She mentally sang folk songs and tried to teach this to the children.
At the age of nine, the boy became a high school student, and graduated with a silver medal. The first performance took place at a charity evening of the educational institution and was immediately successful. The young performer of an excerpt from the opera "The Volga Robbers" appeared on the stage by accident - he replaced a sick comrade. Then Leonid did not think about a career as a singer and entered the Faculty of Law at Moscow University. Having received his diploma, he began to practice law as an assistant to the well-known specialist Plevako. For two years, the novice lawyer has conducted about 70 civil cases, most of which were successful.
First tenor of Russia
Music did not leave Sobinov all this time. While still a student, he sang in the university choir, attended a singing circle and at the same time began his studies at the Music and Drama School. The teacher Pyotr Shostakovsky saw talent in the young man and offered to get a second education for free. Lenya took up his studies so zealously that, having passed the exams for the first year, he was immediately enrolled in the third. He was boldly trusted by the leading opera parties in student performances. The result of five years of vocal training was a performance in an Italian opera. At the exam, the graduate received the highest mark, among the examiners was the conductor of the Bolshoi Theater.
In 1897, Sobinov was admitted as a soloist to the main metropolitan temple of art. For his debut, he chose the role of Prince Synodal in Rubinstein's opera The Demon. This was followed by a role in "Prince Igor" by Borodin. Two years later, the vocalist made his final professional choice. He completed the activity of a lawyer, and devoted all his efforts to serving the stage. Jokingly, the artist said that he was "the best singer among lawyers or the best lawyer among singers." In 1989, Leonid came out to the audience in the form of Lensky, the hero of Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin". His unusual manner was criticized a lot, but after a while he was recognized as a classic of the performance of this work. A distinctive feature of the singer Sobinov was the unusually painstaking work to create each role. He studied literature, which gave an idea of the time of action, carefully analyzed the characters of the characters, got used to the image. Such "digging" gave the maximum result, the images turned out to be natural and reliable.
Over the next few years, the already mature stage master has toured all the leading European theaters, shone on the best stages in Milan, London, Berlin, Paris. The Spanish tour of 1908 was especially memorable. The audience applauded the performer of the arias from Mephistopheles and Manon Lescaut. The leading part in Gluck's "Orpheus and Eurydice" acquired a new sound, which had never been played by a tenor before. Melodious words of grief, telling about the death of a beloved girl, touched the heart of every viewer. The skill of Leonid Vitalievich reached that high artistic level when he became a model of performance for aspiring vocalists.
In 1910, Sobinov tried himself as a director. His first work was the opera La Boheme by Giacomo. The next piece was planned for "Tosca" by Puccini, but the administration did not allow the production, seeing in it a revolutionary subtext.
Patriot of his Motherland
Leonid Vitalievich was distinguished by a kind heart and an infinitely generous soul. He considered it his duty to help students and aspiring talents, gave the necessary gifts to organizations and societies in need. During the First World War, Lieutenant Sobinov performed a lot, and he sent all the funds raised from concerts, and this is more than 200 thousand rubles, to help the wounded and to charity.
The artist has repeatedly refused to emigrate. A true patriot, he believed in Russian art and was ready to serve it. Initially, he served as the Commissioner of the Mossovet Theater. Immediately after the revolution, he became the head of the Bolshoi Theater, this post was especially pleasant and meaningful for him. In the fall of 1920, the Soviet government sent him to the Crimea to lead the direction of culture of the department of public education in Sevastopol. Sobinov strongly supported the development of theatrical art, he is considered one of the founders of the Sevastopol Drama Theater. The dream to open a conservatory in the city remained unfulfilled.
Personal life
There were two families in the artist's biography. Sobinov's first wife was Maria Korzhavina. She was a graduate of the same school. The marriage had two sons. The elder Boris grew up to be a famous pianist, the younger Yuri died at the front of the Civil War. The second family union took place with Nina Mukhina, the sister of the famous sculptor. Their only joint child was their daughter Svetlana, who later bore the surname of the husband of the writer Lev Kassil. Granddaughter Irina Sobinova-Kassil chose the profession of animation director.
The artist continued his chamber vocal performances until the age of 60. Even at such an old age, going on stage, he remained a bright singer and a talented dramatic actor, radiated incredible charm. The busy schedule and numerous tours affected his health. When visiting Riga in October 1934, the heart of the great tenor stopped, an attack occurred in a hotel room. The body was taken to the capital by a funeral train and was laid to rest at the Novodevichy cemetery.
Leonid Sobinov's contribution to the art of opera became a new step in the development of world culture. The work of the great artist was continued by Fyodor Chaliapin and Sergey Lemeshev.
