Part III: Rare and unknown voices - BORIS GMYRYA

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Boris Gmyrya, Bass-Baritone (1903-1969)

Franz Schubert WINTERREISE (Winter Journey)
First song: Gute Nacht!
Last song: Der Leiermann
Accompanied by Lev Ostrin
Recorded 1965

My personal opinion: If you think about Schubert´s WINTERREISE (transposed for a darker male voice), who comes to your mind? Certainly at first Fischer-Dieskau (who left us 12 different versions!), next Hotter, Prey, Allen, Bär, Van Dam (for me a little bit disappointing), Goerne (apparently anyhow disinterested), Hampson, Holl and some others. For an even more darker bass-voice, it´s not easy to illustrate the diverging desperate feelings of a young man near to suicide. Normally a bass sounded like an elder and matured man (The late hungarian László Polgar was a welcome change). In 1965, the ukrainian bass-baritone Boris Gmyrya recorded a most interesting version (with an indifferent accompaniment by Lev Ostrin that forces the singer to fast tempi). At the time, Gmyrya was already 62 years old, but he still sounded fresh and vivid. It was one of those performances that makes you wanna hear more. My next Gmyrya recording was the death-scene of BORIS GODUNOV. I was impressed by the heart-melting immediacy. It was soulful singing, a welcome alternative to the refine rendition of Christoff, the expansive sound-production of Ghiaurov or the affected declamatoric style of a well-known canadian bass-baritone.
Boris Gmyrya is a typical example for a great singer, longtime hidden behind the iron curtain. He was born in a small ukranian town. At an early age, he performed a lot of folk songs. When he was a teenager, he started to work as an office boy, stoker and sailor. In his mid-twenties he was known for his remarkable voice. He studied in the class of Pavel Golubev and already in his thirties, he made his debut in an unknown ukrainian opera. In 1939 he won the first prize in a nation-wide competition, which was followed by his first tour through the country. His repertory of 36 roles included Gremin, Galitzky, Boris, Sobakin (THE BRIDE OF THE CZAR by Rimsky-Korsakov) and many other character roles. He became famous for his portrayal of Salieri (MOZART AND SALIERI), but he was most admired as a recitalist on the concert platform (starting in 1948) as well as in radio broadcasts. He even gained more attention in songs by russian composers as well as Brahms, Schumann, Grieg, Dvorak and Schubert. Very popular in his country, he was given the title of "Honoured Artist of the Ukrainian Republic" and "People´s Artist of the USSR". It it symptomatical, you will hardly find his name in western literature, much less you will find records of him. I believe, the isolation of many basses from the east are the reason, why so many mediocre baritones and basses from the so-called "free world" came to international fame. As far as I can see, Boris Gmyrya sang in two entire operas on record: In 1956 he was Maxim in BOGDAN CHMELNITZKI by Dankevitch, one year earlier he recorded THE BRIDE OF THE CZAR (again under Vladimir Piradov). Two rare russian operas: This is of course not enough to build an international reputation. Perhaps with this contribution here, he reaches a new audience. I´m sure, he deserves your confidence! Here are the beginning and the end of Franz Schubert´s immortal song-cycle WINTERREISE, sung in russian. Well, just imagine this winter landscape is not in Austria, it´s in Siberia... And when you´re back from this journey, please let us know your opinion about Boris Gmyrya!

THE COMPLETE OVERVIEW: GO TO ALL SINGERS IN THE LIST with this new link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHJ9YvWjPGM

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Boris
• Gmyrya
• Bass-Baritone

[ingriddoppler]

It´s almost unforgivable not to have heard of this wonderful artist till now ;

eventhough my favorite bass is Boris Christoff, I must admitt that Mr.Gmyrya most certainly cought my attention ,so I immediately looked for his "B.Godunov Death scene"...and WOW, what an impressive,drammatic and moving rendition!!!

Thank you so much @100Singers for another exciting discovery.

[Teonareine]

Beautiful voice.

[abracadabranque]

Rapide.Le style en souffre.

[DonnaSilvia]

He had a warm great voice and a really elegant way of singing Schubert.

What a pity that disgraced piano accompaniment !

[belshep]

@ingriddoppler Gmyria as Boris Godunov is unrivalled, even better than Chaliapin. There's also a 1950 video of Boris Monologue here on youtube posted recently, with him singing it in Ukrainian. Mind-blowing in whatever he performs

[8x8MaVerick8x8]

I've never been able to like Der Leiermann... While it's a very creepy song and text, and it achieves that goal, I've found it boring and vocally unsatisfying...

[tenorvoicefan]

Die Stimme ist sehr schön, überzeugend. Aber die Winterreise passt nicht zu dieser Stimme. Es klingt nicht glaubwürdig.

Jedoch würde ich diesen Mann sehr gerne als Boris hören. Oder in Mozart Rollen.

Hier passt er gewiss besser, denn die Stimme ist schön, mit Wohlklang und Tiefe gesegnet.

[flon5flon]

Sorry but I did not appreciate the interpretation, the voice and especially the pianoplayer.

The song is so German and the voice so Russian: they didn't match at all.

A romantic "Sturm und Drang" jung man with such a voice is difficult to believe. (the Winterreise sung by a woman as well).

I see him wandering not in Austria - as you mention - and certainly not in Siberia but in the Rennsteig in the Thüringerwald or places like that.

Once I walked the Rennsteig in December so I am prejudiced!

[LordMgls]

It is interesting. With these singers, there would always be an 'iron curtain' that would tag them "URSS only!".