Georgi Nelepp

Georgii Mikhailovich Nelepp (; 20 April 1904 – 18 June 1957) was a Soviet and Russian opera singer.

From 1930 to 1957, Nelepp performed dramatic tenor parts at the Kirov Theatre in St. Petersburg and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In Nelepp's entry in Great Soviet Encyclopedia, V. I. Zubarin writes, "One of the best Soviet opera singers, Nelepp was a highly skilled actor. He possessed a sonorous, soft voice capable of rich timbre. He was noted for the richness of his characterizations and for the austerity and nobility of his artistic form." In notes for a CD featuring Nelepp and three other Bolshoi tenors (Ivan Kozlovsky, Georgy Vinogradov, and Sergei Lemeshev), Charles Haynes calls Nelepp "the most exciting" of them, explaining that his "voice and artistry are entirely different from those of his three colleagues: the voice itself has a compelling 'ring' to it and there is a sense of urgency about his performances."

Nelepp's life trajectory from farmhand to celebrated opera singer was marked by two youthful choices—joining the Russian Revolution as a member of the Red Army and successfully auditioning for a place in the opera-singing course at the Leningrad Conservatory despite having no previous musical training.

Life

Of Cossack ancestry, Nelepp was born in Bobruiki, Chernihiv Governorate in today's Ukraine.

When the Russian Revolution began, Georgii left his chores and joined the Red Army. A cavalryman, he was assigned to units in Ukraine that punished deserters and collected food taxes, i.e., confiscated grain from peasants. According to Russian historian Suzanne Ament, both assignments would likely have exposed him to violence. Deserters and uncooperative peasants alike were shot.

For the rest of his life, Nelepp belonged to the Communist Party and served in various capacities, e.g., as Party Secretary of the Bolshoi Theatre and, beginning in 1954, on the Stalin Prize Committee. He enjoyed the privileges of Party membership, such as owning a car in which he took family and friends fishing. His article in the Encyclopaedia Universalis likewise presents Nelepp as a political informant.

As a young soldier in Ukraine, Nelepp met and married his wife Nadezhda Feodorovna Gregorieva. Later, he would refer to her as his muse. She sacrificed her own musical career for his.

Competing with a thousand applicants for admission to the Conservatory, Nelepp won one of seven openings.

Thus, critic Ivan Sollertinsky predicted Nelepp would be a world class opera star. He was awarded three Stalin Prizes: in 1942 for his performance in The Enchantress, in 1948 for The Bartered Bride, and in 1950 for Sadko.

Nelepp was and still is known for the beautiful quality of his voice and for his memorable characterizations.

In a radio program about Nelepp, contemporary Russian opera singer Sergei Givargizova noted that Nelepp often broke with the conventional portrayals of the characters he played. It was difficult to surprise Leningrad, Givargizova observed, but Nelepp did it in his rendering of Lensky in his debut.

Givargizova considered Gherman in Pique Dame to have been Nelepp's greatest role. Gherman was stereotypically portrayed as a mentally unstable gambling addict. However, Nelepp's more complicated interpretation incorporated admirable qualities, conveying, for example, that Gherman gambled to provide for his beloved Lisa. Thus, Nelepp's Gherman closely resembled Pushkin's portrayal of the character in the story that is the basis of the opera. According to Givargizova, Nelepp would typically follow the director's interpretation of a role, but with increasing rehearsal, arrive at his own. If necessary, he would argue for it, albeit not always successfully.

On Classical CD Review, a commentator appraised Nelepp's 1957 recording of Fidelio as follows: "Pride of place goes to the great Russian spinto tenor, Georgi Nelepp, as Florestan. [...] Nelepp sings his demanding role with a combination of dramatic intensity, technical ease, and handsome vocal quality that places his Florestan near the very top of the list among recorded interpretations."

Dan Davis of Classics Today reviewed Nelepp's 1952 recording of Pique Dame, observing, "Nelepp's singing and characterization is several leagues beyond the Hermans of other available complete Pique Dame recordings. His voice is big enough to capture Herman's macabre obsession but he also gives us a rounded character whose noble side, so often neglected by singers, helps explain Lisa's attraction to him."

On the 110th anniversary of his birth, the Bolshoi Theatre held an honorary exhibit of Nelepp memorabilia.

The Bolshoi commemoration features recollections from Nelepp's director and friend L. V. Baratov: "When he was singing . . . no one would ever think about giving him a round of applause for a perfect high ‘C’, because this would have ruined the overall impression his performance made. What did captivate the audience was the image that the singer created, his character and its vital force." “Nelepp's artistic legacy,” the anniversary tribute continues, "is the pride of the musical and theatrical culture."