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362:(the form of her name used in most Western reference books) or simply Medea Figner. Furthermore, she was given the patronymic of Ivanovna, and is sometimes designated as Medea (or Medeya) Ivanovna (Mei-)Figner. She eventually mastered Russian to such an extent that native speakers could not tell she had learned it only from the age of 30.
554:. Oddly, they never appeared in works written by Rimsky-Korsakov, who was the most prolific operatic composer in Tsarist Russia. It has been suggested that the reason for this gap in their repertoire was personal: they had asked Rimsky-Korsakov to write an opera for them, or to make some changes to his existing work
589:
52:) but she became completely Russianized after marrying Nikolay. They had separate careers before their wedding, and again after their divorce in 1904, but during the 15 years of their marriage they almost always sang in the same performances. They created the main tenor and soprano roles in two operas by
685:
The Danish journalist Knut de
Hageman-Lindenkrone conducted a long recorded interview with Medea Mei at her Parisian apartment in 1949, when the singer was 90 years old. The interview is in French, although Medea Mei may be heard to speak as well in Italian and Russian with her daughter, who was
693:
This fascinating hour-long interview, with unique memories of
Tchaikovsky and other fabled events of Mme Mei's Saint-Petersburg career, was included in a Rubini Records set of two long-playing records, c. 1975, that also featured Medea Mei-Figner's complete commercially recorded output from the
409:
for them. They created the roles in the world premiere of this opera, on 19 December 1890, after rehearsing under
Tchaikovsky's personal supervision. Medea was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time. In 1891, when she was unable to continue to appear in
674:. Her voice was considered by contemporary critics to be more beautiful and more impressive than that of her husband. He was already past his vocal prime when he and his wife cut their first series of 78-rpm records in St Petersburg in 1901–02 for
588:
590:
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The
Figners divorced in 1904. Medea made a tour of South America and returned to continue a solo career at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. From 1910 to 1915 Nikolay directed and sang with the
453:
888:
645:, while a comprehensive selection of their recordings was released on compact disc by the Symposium label in 2000. This double set of CDs bears the catalogue numbers 1255/1256.
686:
also present. She even sings a few bars of music here and there, including both the first phrase and the last from Liza's aria, 'Midnight is
Approaching', from Tchaikovsky's
636:
of 1917, and died in poverty in Kiev on 13 December 1918, aged 61. Medea left Soviet Russia in 1930 and settled in Paris, where she died on 8 July 1952, at the age of 93.
91:(1852–1942). He joined the Russian Navy as a midshipman, and rose to the rank of lieutenant, retiring in 1881 to study voice with Vassily Samus, I. P. Pryanishnikova and
1097:
423:
in 1892. Tchaikovsky dedicated his Six
Romances, Op. 73 (1893) to Nikolay Figner. Nikolay spent time with Tchaikovsky in the days following the premiere of his
441:
By no means, however, did the
Figners confine their joint operatic activities to the compositions of Tchaikovsky. For example, they created the main roles in
341:
Medea went to Russia with
Nikolay Figner in 1887, making her debut there on 8 May at the St Petersburg Imperial Opera (the Mariinsky Theatre) as Valentine in
192:; they formed a liaison, and he brought her back to Russia in 1887. Two years later, they wed. Figner soon established himself as the leading tenor at the
414:
due to her condition, Nikolay refused to sing with a substitute soprano, and so the opera was removed from the program until Medea was able to return.
268:. She became well known throughout Italy, and also toured Spain, South America and Russia and visited London. Her repertoire then included Ulrica in
351:. The soprano knew no Russian at that time, and sang in Italian during the first two St Petersburg seasons. Subsequently, she was received into the
120:
and appeared at other
Italian venues for a number of years. While in Italy, Figner took the opportunity to study with the prominent singing teacher
156:'s first appearance as a conductor in Italy after his initial triumph in South America. During his travels, he sang roles such as Arnold in
900:
355:, and married Figner on 20 February 1889. Thereafter, Nikolay made it his practice to sing only in operas in which Medea was also singing.
1077:
1142:
48:, were a husband-and-wife team of opera singers active in Russia between 1889 and 1904. Medea was Italian-born (her original surname was
1117:
770:
1137:
1132:
1069:
1006:
970:
1122:
1112:
679:
733:
1056:
417:
The
Figners also created the title soprano role and that of the tenor part of Count Vaudémont in Tchaikovsky's opera
1021:
434:'s apartment during the composer's final illness. He returned there immediately after Tchaikovsky's death, helping
1107:
877:
856:
852:
96:
424:
650:
405:
58:
396:, as Carmen and Don José, produced an ovation said to be unprecedented in the history of Russian opera.
654:
with the alternative low ending sanctioned by the composer. She also made discs of "Vissi d'arte" from
633:
431:
995:
904:
229:). A good-looking man, he projected a memorable stage presence and sang with sensitivity and style.
1127:
1102:
400:
53:
435:
352:
938:
1074:
958:
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Both the Figners were considered to be outstanding actors: their first appearance together in
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472:
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442:
112:
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270:
162:
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510:
8:
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opera company in Saint Petersburg. Medea's farewell performance was in the title role in
545:
520:
560:, but the composer apparently refused to oblige and this may have offended the Figners.
378:
Medea Mei-Figner is the great-great-grandmother of the Italian soprano Amarilli Nizza.
182:
121:
774:
1052:
615:
447:
342:
291:
225:
200:
193:
177:
157:
133:
117:
186:. He also happened to appear on stage with Medea Mei in a production of Donizetti's
140:). He travelled to South America as well during this period. On 4 November 1886, in
258:
at the young age of 16, and made her operatic debut soon afterwards, as Azucena in
245:
220:
153:
145:
144:, he sang the principal tenor role in the world premiere of the revised version of
92:
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84:
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Other operas in which the Figners performed as a team included: Tchaikovsky's
244:, Italy, on 4 March 1859. She studied there with Bianchi, Carozzi-Zucchi and
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347:
301:
137:
41:
737:
515:
321:
260:
596:
Performed by Medea Figner in 1910. Run time is two minutes and one second
371:
124:
and also received instruction from E. de Roxas. Figner performed, too, in
671:
488:
326:
296:
205:
188:
88:
68:– and appeared in a number of other important Russian musical premieres.
33:
605:
556:
550:
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Notably, Medea appeared as Mimi in the first performance of
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Figner then travelled to Italy, where he made his debut at
1024:
The Literary Lorgnette: Attending Opera in Imperial Russia
648:
Importantly, Medea Mei-Figner recorded "Lisa's aria" from
466:(Nikolay's Lensky was said to have been surpassed only by
675:
632:
Conservatory. He lost most of his possessions during the
1037:
Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954.
83:, on 9/21 February 1857. He was a brother of the famous
310:. She latter added soprano roles such as Charlotte in
639:
Both of their voices can be heard on the LP anthology
498:(singing in the latter work's 1889 Russian premiere);
1098:19th-century opera singers from the Russian Empire
199:Other Russian composers whose operas he sang were
1089:
381:
1032:Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers
813:Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers
375:in Russia; she was coached by Puccini himself.
18:Russian husband-and-wife team of opera singers
403:, who wrote the roles of Hermann and Liza in
358:She was referred to after marriage as either
582:Gypsy Song from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen
765:
763:
761:
759:
757:
755:
25:Tchaikovsky (centre) and the Figners, 1890s
690:, which she had created 59 years before.
1049:Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man
927:Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man
838:
836:
834:
794:
792:
752:
728:
726:
724:
564:Divorce, later lives and recorded legacy
332:
20:
1090:
1064:The Record of Singing: Vol. 1, To 1914
624:in 1912. In 1917 Nikolay moved to the
248:. She sang the mezzo-soprano role in
831:
789:
721:
712:
710:
708:
706:
196:, retaining this status until 1903.
680:Gramophone & Typewriter Company
232:
13:
1143:19th-century Italian opera singers
1051:. New York: Schirmer Books, 1991.
1026:. Stanford University Press, 2000.
703:
570:
14:
1154:
71:
604:Problems playing this file? See
586:
152:; this was also the occasion of
1118:Italian operatic mezzo-sopranos
1042:Arturo Toscanini: The NBC Years
1000:
989:
963:
952:
943:
932:
919:
893:
882:
826:Arturo Toscanini: The NBC Years
694:beginning of the 20th century.
524:; and the Russian premieres of
871:
845:
818:
805:
800:The Record of Singing: To 1914
79:was born in Nikiforovka, near
1:
1138:Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy
1133:Russian expatriates in France
697:
399:They were highly regarded by
382:The Figners perform as a team
97:Saint Petersburg Conservatory
7:
77:Nikolay Nikolayevich Figner
10:
1159:
1075:Recordings by Medea Figner
1123:Italian operatic sopranos
1113:Russian operatic sopranos
1070:Medea Figner's Recordings
1066:. Gerald Duckworth, 1977.
628:, where he taught at the
971:"Russia's Golden Tenors"
401:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
300:, and the title role in
116:in 1882. He sang at the
54:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
470:'s interpretation) and
436:Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
353:Russian Orthodox Church
1108:Russian mezzo-sopranos
1080:18 August 2018 at the
1047:Poznansky, Alexander.
1044:. Amadeus Press, 2003.
734:"History of the Tenor"
575:
338:
211:Alexander Dargomyzhsky
26:
1030:Greene, David Mason.
925:Alexander Poznansky,
853:"The Voice of Russia"
842:Michael Scott: p. 143
642:The Record of Singing
574:
438:to lay out the body.
336:
24:
939:Tchaikovsky Research
811:David Mason Greene.
777:on 13 September 2009
717:Tchaikovsky Research
678:'s predecessor, the
531:Cavalleria rusticana
430:. Later, he visited
320:, and Margherita in
271:Un ballo in maschera
1040:Mortimer, Frank H.
824:Mortimer H. Frank.
688:The Queen of Spades
651:The Queen of Spades
454:Francesca da Rimini
412:The Queen of Spades
406:The Queen of Spades
132:and London (at the
59:The Queen of Spades
1034:. Doubleday, 1985.
1022:Buckler, Julie A.
977:on 15 January 2008
859:on 2 November 2009
634:Russian Revolution
576:
432:Modest Tchaikovsky
339:
183:Linda di Chamounix
122:Francesco Lamperti
113:Philémon et Baucis
27:
949:Poznansky, p. 578
740:on 17 August 2011
591:
511:Roméo et Juliette
201:Alexander Borodin
194:Mariinsky Theatre
134:Royal Opera House
118:San Carlo Theatre
1150:
1062:Scott, Michael.
1009:
1007:Cantabile-subito
1004:
998:
993:
987:
986:
984:
982:
973:. Archived from
967:
961:
956:
950:
947:
941:
936:
930:
923:
917:
916:
914:
912:
907:on 17 March 2009
903:. Archived from
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864:
855:. Archived from
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843:
840:
829:
822:
816:
809:
803:
796:
787:
786:
784:
782:
773:. Archived from
771:"Historic Opera"
767:
750:
749:
747:
745:
736:. Archived from
730:
719:
714:
593:
592:
573:
443:Eduard NápravnĂk
360:Medea Mei-Figner
337:Medea Mei-Figner
233:Medea Mei-Figner
221:Anton Rubinstein
154:Arturo Toscanini
146:Alfredo Catalani
93:Camille Everardi
1158:
1157:
1153:
1152:
1151:
1149:
1148:
1147:
1128:Married couples
1103:Operatic tenors
1088:
1087:
1086:
1082:Wayback Machine
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798:Michael Scott.
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790:
780:
778:
769:
768:
753:
743:
741:
732:
731:
722:
715:
704:
700:
660:and arias from
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587:
584:
577:
571:
566:
425:Symphony No. 6
384:
367:Giacomo Puccini
282:Ambroise Thomas
235:
213:(the Prince in
176:, and Carlo in
87:revolutionary,
85:"People's Will"
74:
19:
12:
11:
5:
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901:"musicdoo.com"
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802:. 1977: p. 215
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468:Leonid Sobinov
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280:, Gertrude in
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166:, the Duke in
73:
72:Nikolay Figner
70:
30:Nikolay Figner
17:
9:
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463:Eugene Onegin
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274:, Amneris in
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203:(Vladimir in
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138:Covent Garden
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55:
51:
47:
43:
42:mezzo-soprano
40:(1859–1952),
39:
35:
32:(1857–1918),
31:
23:
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1063:
1048:
1041:
1031:
1023:
1002:
996:Tick now.com
991:
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975:the original
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909:. Retrieved
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799:
779:. Retrieved
775:the original
742:. Retrieved
738:the original
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261:Il trovatore
259:
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240:was born in
237:
236:
224:
223:(Sinodal in
214:
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198:
187:
181:
171:
163:William Tell
161:
149:
111:
101:
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75:
63:
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38:Medea Figner
37:
29:
28:
15:
959:Opera Today
672:Paolo Tosti
616:Narodny Dom
546:Leoncavallo
521:Fra Diavolo
489:La traviata
327:Mefistofele
297:La favorite
206:Prince Igor
189:La favorite
89:Vera Figner
34:lyric tenor
1092:Categories
878:MTG Lirica
698:References
606:media help
427:Pathetique
981:23 August
911:23 August
863:23 August
781:23 August
744:23 August
557:May Night
551:Pagliacci
448:Dubrovsky
372:La bohème
343:Meyerbeer
292:Donizetti
266:Sinalunga
238:Medea Mei
226:The Demon
178:Donizetti
173:Rigoletto
130:Bucharest
1078:Archived
929:, p. 524
828:: p. 149
815:: p. 819
526:Mascagni
312:Massenet
242:Florence
44:, later
889:L'UnitĂ
663:Werther
626:Ukraine
536:Puccini
420:Iolanta
317:Werther
255:Requiem
246:Panofka
219:), and
216:Rusalka
158:Rossini
95:at the
65:Iolanta
46:soprano
1055:
668:Carmen
621:Carmen
500:Gounod
495:Otello
393:Carmen
307:Carmen
287:Hamlet
126:Madrid
108:Gounod
104:Naples
36:, and
657:Tosca
541:Tosca
516:Auber
505:Faust
478:Verdi
388:Bizet
322:Boito
302:Bizet
264:, at
250:Verdi
168:Verdi
150:Edmea
142:Turin
81:Kazan
1053:ISBN
983:2009
913:2009
865:2009
783:2009
746:2009
666:and
630:Kiev
544:and
508:and
492:and
483:Aida
451:and
277:Aida
62:and
676:EMI
548:'s
538:'s
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518:'s
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314:'s
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170:'s
160:'s
148:'s
110:'s
106:in
50:Mei
1094::
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514:;
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476:;
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1059:.
985:.
915:.
867:.
785:.
748:.
608:.
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