Nezhdanova, Antonina (Vasilievna)
Nezhdanova, Antonina (Vasilievna)
Nezhdanova, Antonina (Vasilievna), distinguished Russian soprano; b. Krivaya Balka, near Odessa, June 16, 1873; d. Moscow, June 26, 1950. She studied at the Moscow Cons, (graduated, 1902). She made her operatic debut as Antonida in A Life for the Czar in Moscow (1902); shortly thereafter, became a principal member of the Bolshoi Theater there, remaining on its roster for almost 40 years; also appeared in other Russian music centers, as both an opera singer and a concert singer; sang Gilda in Paris (1912). She taught at the Stanislavsky Opera Studio and the Bolshoi Theater Opera Studio (from 1936); was prof. of voice at the Moscow Cons, (from 1943). Her husband was Nikolai Golovanov. She was made a People’s Artist of the U.S.S.R. (1936). She was notably successful in lyric, coloratura, and dramatic roles, her range extending to high G; in addition to Antonida, she excelled as Tatiana, Marguerite, Mar fa, Lakme, and Juliette. Her memoirs were publ. posthumously in Moscow (1967).
Bibliography
M. Lvov, A.V. N. (Moscow, 1952); G. Polyanovsky, A. N. (Moscow, 1970).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire