On 16 May Viktor Chernobayev turned 85. The artist was born in Novorossiysk. His father was engaged in logging and often took his son to the mountains. Viktor liked those journeys, but he was more attracted by the sea, so he decided to apply to a nautical college after finishing school. But his dreams were doomed never to come true: World War II began, and his family was evacuated to Krasnodar. After the war 15-year-old Viktor started working as a turner and attending classes at an evening school where he took part in amateur performances for he loved singing.
After completing 7 school years, Viktor entered a music school, and a year later he was transferred to the music school of Moscow Conservatory. In 1950, Chernobayev was called up and sent as a soloist to the Ensemble of Song and Dance of Moscow Military District. After his demobilization Viktor was offered to join the company of the State Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus. His first role was the role of the Varangian Guest in Sadko.
His repertoire comprised about a hundred roles. For 50 years of his artistic life, he performed all lead bass roles from the European, Russian, Soviet and national repertoire, including the Miller and Don Pasquale, Agamemnon and Tsar Dodon, Ivan Susanin and Falstaff, Filippo II and Leporello, Mefistofele and Ivan Khovansky, Ivan Susanin and Mendoza, Vladimir of Galich and Don Bartolo, Sobakin and Malyuta Skuratov, etc.
Viktor Chernobayev is a whole epoch in the history of Belarusian opera. He sang with the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus over 50 years, from 1958 to 2011. The audience enjoyed his indefatigability and inventiveness. He could easily create a welcoming ambience, an atmosphere of benevolence and ease, which immediately spread throughout the audience and filled it with hope and peace.
The performance of The Tsar’s Bride will star the following soloists of our opera company: winner of an international competition Elena Zolova as Marfa, People’s Artist of Belarus Vladimir Petrov as Gryaznoy, recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Oksana Yakushevich as Lyubasha, winner of international competitions Viktor Mendelev as Lykov, Honoured Artist of the Republic of Belarus Oleg Melnikov as Malyuta, People’s Artist of Belarus Vasily Kovalchuk as Sobakin. The performance will be conducted by the Honoured Artist of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Koliadko.
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus
