Boris Christoff
Boris Christoff was a Bulgarian operatic bass of the 20th century who specialized in roles from Verdi and Mussorgsky. He was also active as a recitalist and made several recordings of songs by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and other Romantic era composers. He was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 1914. His mother was Russian, and his father was a Bulgarian teacher who also sang at a nearby church. Christoff began singing when he was very young, and he sang in the choir at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Although his musical talents were already apparent, he decided to study law at Sofia University. After he finished his schooling in the late 1930s, he worked as a magistrate, and he sang in the Gusla Chorus. This led to his discovery as a singer in 1940, when he performed for King Boris of Bulgaria as a soloist with the chorus. The king was very impressed and offered Christoff a scholarship to learn from Riccardo Stracciari, who was one of the top operatic baritones of the time. In 1942, Christoff left his position as a magistrate and traveled to Rome, where he studied with Stracciari for two years. Then he continued his education with Muratti in Salzburg, but he was detained in a Nazi labor camp near the end of World War II. After his release in 1945 he traveled back to Italy, and in 1946 he made his opera debut in Reggio di Calabria as Colline in Puccini's La boheme. The following year he sang the role of Pimen in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, in debut performances in both Rome and at La Scala. His interpretation of the title role in 1949 at Covent Garden was wildly successful and it became one of his specialties. Throughout the '50s he was in high demand in Europe with appearances in Barcelona and Paris, and he sang several roles at La Scala. In 1956 he made his U.S. debut in the title role of Boris Godunov with the San Francisco Opera. This led to further American engagements with the Chicago Lyric Opera from 1957 to 1963. In addition to his association with the Boris role, he was known for his expertise in Verdi's bass roles, especially King Philip II from Don Carlo. He took a brief hiatus in 1964 when he received medical treatment for a brain tumor. He resumed his music career the following year and maintained a slower pace until his final major U.S. performance in 1980. This also happened to be his debut in New York, although he never sang any operas there. He sang infrequently until his last public appearance in Rome at the Accademia di Bulgaria in 1986. Christoff passed away in Rome in 1993, and his body was buried in the Central Sofia Cemetery in Bulgaria.
© RJ Lambert /TiVo
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Massenet - Don Chisciotte
Boris Christoff, Teresa Berganza, Alfredo Simonetto, Orchestra di Milano della Rai
Opera - Released by G.O.P. on 1 Jan 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grechaninov, A.T.: Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (The), Op. 79
Choral Music (Choirs) - Released by CapriccioNR on 1 Jan 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Singers of the Century: Boris Christoff - Italian & Russian Opera Recital
Opera - Released by Jube Classic on 10 May 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Boito, Mozart, Mussorgsky, Rossini, Verdi: Brani Scelti (Remaster)
Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI, Alfredo Simonetto, Boris Christoff
Opera - Released by Nar Classical on 12 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Mazeppa
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Florentino, Ettore Bastianini, Boris Christoff, Magda Olivera
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 26 Feb 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boris Christoff & Gianna D'Angelo Recital
Boris Christoff, Gianna d' Angelo, Alfredo Simonetto, Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della Radio Italiana
Miscellaneous - Released by G.O.P. on 8 May 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The 1949-1952 Recordings
Classical - Released by PnR on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maria Callas - Parsifal II- Richard Wagner
Opera - Released by Totall Records on 2 Aug 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Maria Callas - Parsifal - Richard Wagner
Opera - Released by Totall Records on 2 Aug 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo