They call him a Verdi baritone. Over the past ten years or so Boris Statsenko has made a brilliant career for himself in the West. His departure from Russia in the beginning of the 90s was preceded by years of his work in the Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Music Theater in the Bolshoi Theater, where the singer performed more than ten parts.

Currently he is a soloist in the Düsseldorf Opera Theater, performing on the greatest stages of Hamburg, Dresden, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, and other cultural capitals of the world, with a repertoire of over fifty operas. Boris Statsenko is a regular participant in the festival in Lucca (Italy), and has sung in La Traviate, La Forza de Destino, Tosca, Rigoletto, Bohemian Girl, Tannhäuser, Iolanta, and Pique Dame in theaters in Venice, Turin, Padua, Lucca, and Rimini.

For the past five years the singer has been actively involved in programs of the Ludwigsburg festival under the direction of Professor Hennenway, performing the leading roles in the operas Stiffelio, Il Trovatore, Nabucco, Ernani, and Un Ballo en Maschera. Over the next four years Statsenko has engagements in the theaters of Verona, Trieste, Palermo, Parma, Rome, Toulouse, Lions, Liege, and Tel Aviv.

For the Moscow public, Boris Statsenko’s return was marked by the magnificent performance of the part of Napoleon in Bolshoi Theater's new sensational project — S. Prokofiev’s opera War and Peace. The Russian tour continued in his native Chelyabinsk, where he appeared in Tosca, and in the Shalyapin festival in Kazan (Aida, Nabucco, and gala concerts).

Back in November of 2005, in his homeland of Chelyabinsk, Boris Statsenko organized an opera festival in which participated his friends and La Scala performance partners: renowned Italian bases Luigi Roni and Grazio Mori and director Stefano Rabalia, as well as three young vocalists — Stefana Kibalova, Irena Cerboncini, and Alberto Gelmoni.

Currently Boris Statsenko is presenting his new creative project in Russia, jointly with Luigi Roni: a concert agency directed at introducing Italy's most renowned singers to the Russian public, singers that hitherto have not performed in our country. Statsenko believes that Russia is familiar with the names of but a few stars, such as Luciano Pavarotti and Cecilia Bartoli, and has yet to hear the best Italian voices.

Boris first encountered opera as a young man of 22; the Barber of Seville was being presented. «At the time I had no idea what it was. I naively imagined that singers didn't study singing — they simply went on stage and sang,» relates Statsenko. The impression made that day proved so strong that the former village lad left his job and began to study opera singing.

Picturesque base Stanislav Bogdanovich Suleimanov freely agreed to an interview:

«Boris's life changed drastically in 1993, when he was invited to the Kemnitz opera theater [former East-Germany Karl-Marx-Stadt — Ed.]. It happened that a production of the rarely-performed opera Stiffelio by Verdi was planned, and the performer took sick. Within a week, Boris had learned this extremely difficult and extensive opera — a virtually impossible feat. And his no less brilliant participation in the premier of the opera prompted his subsequent progress.

«He arrived without knowing the language. Today, Boris speaks five languages: German, Italian, English, French… and he has not forgotten his native Russian. Since then Boris has shown throughout the world, having learned and sung 63 opera parts.»

«I can say that I have had to come a long way to attain stylistic performance of the German, French, and Italian composers,» Statsenko remarks, continuing the interview. «This is particularly hard in Russia, since other students have more opportunities to hear good performers live. Seven years ago my friend Luigi Roni [a well-known Italian base — Ed.] and I first traveled to Chelyabinsk. For a long time I had tried to persuade him, and at last he agreed.

«Tickets were sold out half a year before the festival took place. What is most interesting is that half of the audience were young people 20 years of age or younger; students arrived from Ekaterinburg and Perm to hear the Italian opera singers. That is when we engendered the idea of organizing things so that all listeners who wished could hear opera live.

«Of course you realize that no recording can give a complete representation of the singers; only by hearing them live can one understand the style, the flavor. It is only natural that our students find it difficult to sing Italian or any other language. It is very difficult when you do not understand the words, and it is very hard to understand how to sing that way unless you hear it live. I have experienced this myself.

«When I heard my favorite singers live, I gained an entirely different perception of singing technique and performance art, which was of vast help to me. Then I had the idea of forming a producing company in order to bring Italian singers to the Russian stage.

«Moscow and Saint Petersburg, of course, are one thing, but in the provincial cities no-one wants to be involved. The foreigners themselves are afraid to travel to them. Naturally, it is a luxury that does not come cheaply, but without it our singers will find it much harder to reach a world level.

«If you consider the repertoire of the western operas, there are three or four theaters that present some Russian opera once a month. For the most part, western music reigns supreme. It is no secret that our singers have truly good voices, and many sing throughout and astound the entire world.

«Take Dmitry Khvorostovsky, Natalya Netrebko. They had the opportunity to go to the West and work there with pianists, directors, and producers. Of course we have excellent directors, and singers, and pianists, but they have a different technique, impossible to obtain without the assistance of foreigners. The idea is to invite Italians first and foremost, after which French and German opera may follow.

«I have already made calls to multitudinous friends in Germany. They will gladly come, even if there is no production, only concert performances of Wagner operas which Russian listeners have no opportunity to hear anywhere else.

«We are preparing to work on the base of already-existing theaters, with the repertoire they have currently in progress. The same must be done for concert performances. An agreement has already been reached with the head director in Ulyanovsk allowing a concert performance of a Wagner opera. A Greek music festival could be held in the same way — something that has never happened before in Russia.

Suleimanov: «I would like to add a comment or two. Unfortunately, all the musical events that take place in Moscow and Petersburg are frequently of a more pompous, marketed, monetary nature than an educational one. Of course there is no question that Pavarotti and Domingo are brilliant singers, but when some unheard-of «Roman opera» comes to us and the singers do not sing particularly well, it is clear that we are dealing with a commercial venture. While real, serious, actual performance of specifically opera music is something we truly have not yet heard.

«The time when opera in Russia was presented in Russian alone, I think, has passed. Can you imagine how Boris Gudinov would sound in Italian or German? It should only be heard in the original. When Luigi Roni performed the part from this opera, he said to me: ‘You know, when I sang this in Russian I felt it completely differently. The words are perceived differently.» Of course, he was working with a Russian pianist from La Scala. Unfortunately, Bolshoi Theater does not have a single foreigner who has worked with singers in Italian opera.«

«Is there a program already planned for your performances?»

«At the moment a contract has already been signed with the theater in Chelyabinsk — my home town. There, Tosca, Il Trovatore, and two gala concerts will run October 20 — 30.»

Suleimanov: «Surgut, Khanty-Mansiysk, Perm, Ekaterinburg, and Donetsk have shown great interest, since these cities, with the exception of Surgut and Khanti-Mansisk, have no theaters. But they have an orchestra, and they are prepared to have an Italian director come and direct. These cities are „all aflutter“ at the prospect of what might happen. Though the prospects are not cheap, and funds and sponsors must be sought there, they are all willing.»

Statsenko: «At first they seemed interested. Then they said: ‘Maybe we won't invite them after all; once they have been hear and sung, how will our singers be able to sing anymore? They fear that the public will develop an outright repugnance for the creative level there.»

«Do you plan to involve Moscow, or not?»

«Of course. We're ruling nothing out, even the near abroad, the post-Soviet republics — anywhere where Russian is spoken. The Baltic republics are a separate case, of course; there they have the Finnish influence, and can invite singers there themselves.

«Kazakhstan, the Ukraine, Belarus — anywhere where people learn of our press conferences and wish to cooperate with us, we are willing. What is most important is that it all take place as early as possible, since good singers are very hard to get together on a single day. I have a very intense work schedule.

«After we had been in Chelyabinsk, Luigi said that Russia has an unbelievable number of beautiful women. Another Italian tenor who likewise spent time in Chelyabinsk came to the manager of the theater and offered: „Take me for three months to conduct master classes.“ Before coming to Chelyabinsk, both of them had scoured the internet to determine where it was they were going and what kind of boots and coats they would need.»

«Boris, do you plant to hold master classes?»

«I think the Italian singers will be conducting them.»

«Will tickets be affordable for students and low-income people? Can we count on prices not being sky-high?»

«There is the parterre. Student tickets are available at a large discount, the price of which I do not think should prove burdensome. Several businesses will be procuring tickets for their employees. The approach is an interesting one, and we will be introducing it in practically all cities. For students from other cities there might be a special type of pass.»

«No 25 thousand-ruble tickets, like in Moscow?»

«Of course not.»

«Why such a flippant attitude towards Russian opera? Is Russian hard for them to learn, or is it a general aversion for Russia?»

«Well, why are there so few operas by French or German composers playing in Russia?»

«Wagner is just plain hard to listen to. Hitler adored him, but the music bored the storm troopers to death…»

«When I first came to Germany, I sang Italian opera in German. Now no such theaters exist. The time is past. If they want to produce an opera, it will run only in the original. The fact that so few Russian composers are run surprises me, as well. They probably know very few — Pique Dame, Boris Gudinov. They've never even heard of Evgeny Onegin.»

«Yet Chaikovsky is more popular in the West than Mozart, whose jubilee we celebrate this year.»

«Yes, primarily Chaikovsky’s symphonies. The composer they know, but not his operas.»

Suleimanov: «They shouldn't be blamed for that; all their lives Italian opera has prevailed world wide. Hence, the traditions and everything else were Italian. It is only thanks to the incredible talent of our great composers — Musorgsky, Chaikovsky, Rachmaninoff — that Russian opera has just barely begun to poke its head out. Prokofiev is produced, as are Shostakovich, Chaikovsky, and Musorgsky.»

«Here's an idea for you: take Russian singers to them.»

«That market is full, and breaking in is extremely difficult. Every six months I offer to present Rachmaninoff in Germany. The theater director objects: ‘I don't know whether it will go over with our public.? And I reply: ‘But if we don't try, no-one will ever find out!?»

References: Boris Statsenko (baritone), born in the Chelyabinsk Region in Ural. Completed Chelyabinsk Music School (class of G.K. Gavrilov), Moscow State Conservatory (class of Professor G. I. Titsa) and graduate studies (class of Professor P. I. Skusnichenko). Laureate of the Maria Callas (Greece, 1989) and P. I. Chaikovsky (Moscow, 1990) international competitions.

From 1987 — soloist of the Chamber Music Theater under the direction of Boris Pokrovsky. From 1990 — soloist of the Bolshoi theater, where he performed more than 10 parts. 1994-99 — soloist of the Chemnitz Opera Theater; since 1999 — soloist of the Düsseldorf Opera Theater (Germany). Performed in the theaters of Hamburg, Dresden, Berlin, Stuttgart, Frankfort, Essen, Keln, Helsinki, Oslo, Amsterdam, Brussels, Liege, Bordeaux, Strasburg, Marseille, Paris, and Turin.

Performed concerts in Japan (over 100). Repertoire includes over 50 Russian, German, French, and Italian operas. Boris Statsenko is a constant participant in concerts at the festival in the province of Lucca (Italy), and has sung in La Traviate, La Forza de Destino, Tosca, Rigoletto, Bohemian Girl, Tannhäuser, Iolanta, and Pique Dame in theaters in Venice, Turin, Padua, Lucca, and Rimini.

For the past five years the singer has been actively involved in programs of the Ludwigsburg festival under the direction of Professor Hennenway, performing the leading roles in the operas Stiffelio, Il Trovatore, Nabucco, Ernani, and Un Ballo en Maschera. Together with La Scala soloists Anna-Katerina Antonacci, Luigi Roni, Claudio Desderi, and Al-Rinaldi he has taken part in performances of the Barber of Saville on the stages of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, and Holland. Over the next four years Statsenko has engagements in the theaters of Verona, Trieste, Palermo, Parma, Rome, Toulouse, Lions, Liege, and Tel-Aviv.