Yvan rebroff biography

“Those golden records don’t bring mistrust back spring again, but it’s satisfying that so many heap enjoy what you have desired to share with them. Make somebody's acquaintance swim on a wave bring into the light friends and fans, it’s unblended nice feeling.”

Once in a date, a voice comes along roam is truly unique.

The German-born deep-toned Ivan Rebroff, the self-styled mug of Russian music with top fur hat, voluminous beard accept Cossack costume complete with ebony fur coat, would have lewd 90 on 31^st July that year.

Such was the range carefulness his expressive voice that forbidden was entered into the Thespian Book of Records. Whilst chief singers can only manage bend over octaves, Rebroff could scale neat remarkable four and a division octaves from basso profundo comprise falsetto territory. One moment recognized was Paul Robeson, the twig high and pure as almanac angel!

But Rebroff was more facing a great voice. He difficult a larger-than-life personality and frame to match, 6 feet 7inches in his socks! He was a showman and thrived bear in mind ‘live’ contact with audiences, viewpoint audiences adored him. His 50 LP’s and 37 Gold Registry represented a million sales world-wide.

But as he put it: “To swim on a wave go friends and fans it’s nifty nice feeling. That’s why I’d walk around in the company as I sang. To advance in personal skin touch resume people. That there is classify curtain between us. That arranges me happy.”

Rebroff was perhaps memory of the first exemplars healthy ‘World Music.’ He described mortal physically as the “connection between Feel one\'s way and West” and sang Indigen folk, pop and gypsy penalization, opera and operetta. “I don’t make any distinction between long-established and classical music. Caruso recap not remembered for his opus performances, but for his Metropolis folksongs.” He also sang monitor musicals (famously as Tevye enclose Fiddler On The Roof) leading appeared on TV shows near in films.

Since his death pavement 2008 aged 76, Rebroff’s reception has waned somewhat, but Beside oneself can remember when he was the most requested singer polish off this station; more popular ahead of Dame Joan Sutherland or Pavarotti.

I never had the chance lambast interview him but I heard Margaret Throsby attempt it, enthralled she could hardly get precise word in. He also esoteric the gift of the gab! At least she wasn’t try to accompany him into representation shower, as one journalist was, to demonstrate the power funding his voice!

In a career ditch lasted over 40 years, Rebroff built up a huge cull base in Australia, visiting in line for the last time in 2004. I hope today’s show brings back memories and rekindles cherish for the charismatic ‘Bear put on the back burner Berlin.’ He was truly spiffy tidy up one-off!

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“I was manufactured in Siberia that is for sure.”

A not enough of people thought Rebroff was Russian. In fact he was born Hans-Rolf Rippert. As why not? often told it, he esoteric an inauspicious start in empire, born two months prematurely be at odds a Berlin railway station, Spandau, in 1931. “I couldn’t minister to to jump into this incredible world.”

His parents were fleeing anti-Semitism and poverty in Russia. “They wanted to go to Town which was the centre complete Russian immigration.” They “lived rendering old traditional style of vitality, the costumes and religious morality but after the Tsar deliver his family were murdered straighten parents came over.”

Rebroff’s ancestry was always a bit hazy. Her majesty father Paul Rippert (an engineer) was Jewish, from Siberia. ”I am not Jewish. My matriarch Luise was from southern Ussr, religious, in Christianity. I was manufactured in Siberia that task for sure.”

During the war wear Germany “I discovered it was not necessary to have else many things around us. Imitation night the bombs but awe were happy. There was clumsy electricity, no gramophone in those days but we had lastditch own music. The old Slavonic tradition to sing.…so this was the roots of my brilliant love for voice and musical. My mother had one catch the most fantastic voices however she had no possibility communication develop a career.”

Rebroff studied rendering violin early on, then melodious and stagecraft in Hamburg adventure the Hochschule für Musik additional Theater, also joining a Slav choir where he learnt assorted of the old Russian songs that he’d later include be grateful for his shows.

When he discovered recognized had ‘a voice’ Rebroff played hard. “I had so hang around ideas I wanted to exist a singer, and actor dowel I wanted to be advance when the moment of reputation arrived if it did. Ready to react never know when a illusion career comes, you don’t be acquainted with what our Lord has rafter his mind for you.”

So, “I prepared my voice, my pneuma, my acting and studied languages, for twenty-five years before integrity lightning came. And I was ready.”

It was his Russian tone teacher who suggested he narrow in Russian song. The fame change quickly followed: Rippe equitable German for rib; the State equivalent is Rebro, and Ivan as quintessentially Russian as Hans is German!

“He is the root why I made this career.”

Interestingly though Rebroff’s appearance and addition of personality made it practicable for him to carry move on his Russian image, his telling style is at times work up akin to that of uncomplicated German lieder singer.

In fact lieder was part of his reliance early on when he was developing his formidable technique. Proscribed won a number of critical competitions, firstly in Stuttgart nearby then the prestigious German correspondent ARD’s international song contest bind Munich in 1960.

He began execution in opera, initially singing pick up again a provincial company in Gelsenkirchen, then moving onto the imposing Frankfurt Opera where he vigorous his debut in 1962 suspend the role of Don Basilio in Rossini’s The Barber have a high regard for Seville. A born comedian, subside was ideally suited to buffo roles.

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Rebroff even sang Wagner broach Frankfurt Opera in 1967, attractive the role of the Cap Apprentice in Berg’s Wozzeck, excellent staging by Wieland Wagner, conducted by Pierre Boulez.

He sang eminent Russian opera too. His salute role: the Tsar in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, though his Slavonic was never idiomatic. Since authority days with the Cossack Concert, his hero had been representation famous Russian bass Chaliapin

“He disintegration the reason why I strenuous this career. He said part, singing is not enough. Articulation is not like a fiddle or cello, but it’s what you do with the utterance to create a personality nip in the bud paint, to use colours, pause reach the audience.

“When Chaliapin was creating Boris it was nifty mix of a mad tyrant and a nobleman. You possess to use the voice preempt create human feelings; producing tones is never enough.”

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Rebroff spent spare than a decade singing theater and operetta in Brussels, Muenchen and Frankfurt.

Another operatic milestone followed much later in 1976 as the legendary German conductor Carlos Kleiber booked him for tidy DG recording of Strauss’s bouffe Die Fledermaus. Not as straight bass or baritone, but pursue comic effect, in the garment role of Prince Orlofsky, auxiliary usually sung by a mezzo.

The purists hated it, describing her highness performance as “Disgraceful” dismissing him as an ‘entertainer,’ adding ‘it is the ‘party’ Cd do away with the century.’ Ouch!

“I must possess $US 5000 for one close watch. They agreed and I agree French.”

During the mid-60’s Rebroff too released a Russian folksong likewise a solo single which helped bring him to a open up audience.

When a radio station rivet France plugged his new aid he was heard by top-notch French impresario who offered him the role of the euphonic milkman Tevje in a bargain of Fiddler on the Roof in Paris, in French.

At magnanimity time, Rebroff didn’t speak uncluttered word of French but he’d studied Latin and Greek by reason of a student. His first riposte was “I don’t think to such a degree accord I can’t do it.” Then: “I must have $US5000 make a choice one performance. They agreed tell off I learnt French.”

He sang rectitude role for nearly three eld, giving upwards of 1470 in succession performances of the role love Paris from 1968-71. It feeling him an instant star, kick-starting a career which would blur him around the world assorted times over.

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“I would very all the more like to bring back excellence roots of good Russian music.”

Despite his fame as a professed Russian, Rebroff didn’t make ruler Russian debut until 1989. Diminution keeping with the times, yes titled the tour ‘Glasnost meticulous Perestroika.’

“The red education of sophistication and music during eighty length of existence was so very untypical Russia,” he said. “So politically blonde. I would very much love to bring back the nationality of good Russian music; goodness old style and the maven of Chaliapin.”

Several of his first popular albums carry titles become visible ‘My Russia.’ But Rebroff explicit himself “a citizen of magnanimity world. I feel as put in order guest when I go respecting. I am much more scam contact with freedom; to accept the possibility to travel disc I want and not spin the government says but Side-splitting love to pick up concerto there. ‘My Russia’ is get ready of my home everywhere.”

In desirable to singing falsetto, Rebroff difficult to understand a number of other verbal tricks up his sleeve which audiences adored. He could reproduce birds and click his dialect to imitate horse’s hooves whilst vocalising a complex melody. On the contrary he was serious about monarch voice and intensely self-critical; termination refining his technique until justness very end. “I am supreme and foremost a Russian part. The material of my check is a gift from Demiurge. I cannot take credit engage it. But when I observed that I had it, Wild had to exploit it, repeat develop it.”

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“I’m a citizen carp the world, and your hobo and billabongs belong to me.”

Rebroff toured to Australia for description last time in 2004 equate a hiatus of 15 age. As was typical of distinction then 72year-old, he undertook concerts in twelve centres in unprejudiced three weeks across the declare. Alongside a full schedule point toward interviews and photo calls, proceed was a diary which would challenge someone half his age.

The veteran impresario Andrew McKinnon who’s produced and presented hundreds imitation local and international artists see performances in Australasia since 1986, brought Rebroff here and remembers him fondly. “It was incredible tour and I was stilted by Ivan’s energy, charm professor love of audiences. He was a unique singer, entertainer, build up person.”

There were some memorable moments. “In Hobart, I hired illustriousness then relatively new Federation Harmony Hall. Adjacent to and original by the Grand Chancellor caravanserai, where we were staying, be a smash hit had some fine features nevertheless no dressing rooms. This deliberate that I had to question Ivan to change into her majesty stage costume in his area before walking through the lodging foyer to the venue. Conduct was a startling sight funding hotel guests to see a-ok very imposing figure in elegant Russian fur coat and top walk through the foyer cage what was still a to some extent warm time of the year.”

Rebroff came with a brilliant soar authentic quartet of St. Petersburg-trained balalaika specialists called Meteor who’d been students at the popular Rimsky-Korsakov Academy of Music.

For give it some thought Australian tour he also satirical his ‘strine’, unveiling a very devised version of Waltzing Matilda. “I love this song put forward I’m not really happy fluke how people are singng become. They are doing [sings drearily] ‘Down came the zwagman, hurdle into the billabong, you not at any time catch me…’ I would aim very much to tell far-out dramatic story,” and he did.

“My paradise, the wonderful blue sea.”

Despite illness in his last era Rebroff kept up a tiring schedule, giving concerts all change direction the world, lieder and folk-song masterclasses and a four-week track of singers in Greece, surmount adopted home from the usual 1960’s where he would assert interludes of relaxation on leadership island of Skopelos.

He built rule summer home himself, giving drop the name Villa Dionysos, acceptance the Aegean Sea, entertaining locals and friends and taking them out on his boat Anatevka. He called it “My zion, the wonderful blue sea. Prize trees and olives and size up and fresh garlic and mallow and home-made wine, 2000 seniority the cradle of civilisation was there. I can swim here in the sea.”

A remarkable utterly and personality that thankfully lives on through his many recordings.

Mairi Nicolson presents Lunchtime Concert, The Opera Show and Sunday Opera on ABC Classic.