Sergei Lemeshev

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Lore & Background

Lemeshev was born into a peasant family; his father wanted him to become a cobbler. After leaving parish school in 1914, he was sent to Saint Petersburg to train as a shoemaker. He graduated from school in Tver in 1917, where he received vocal training, and began singing at a local workers' club before moving to Moscow. From 1921 to 1925 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Nazari Raisky, and in 1924 he sang in the opera studio of Konstantin Stanislavski. Between 1926 and 1931 he performed in theatres of Sverdlovsk, Harbin, and Tbilisi. In 1931 he was invited to the Bolshoi Theatre, made his debut, and became its soloist. His prime operatic years were from 1931 to 1942. During the Great Patriotic War, Lemeshev caught a severe cold during an evacuation, leading to two attacks of pneumonia complicated by pleurisy and tuberculosis of the right lung. He was treated with artificial pneumothorax, which induced the therapeutic collapse of one lung. Though singing was forbidden, he adapted his technique and continued to sing with one lung from 1942 to 1948, when the other lung was also artificially collapsed and re-inflated. During that period he recorded Lakmé, The Snow Maiden, Les pêcheurs de perles, Mozart and Salieri and pieces from operas like The Barber of Seville and Rigoletto. In 1947 he toured and performed at the Berlin State Opera. Along with his friendly rival, tenor Ivan Kozlovsky, he was the leading tenor at the Bolshoi until 1956. Lemeshev's signature role was Lensky in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, which he performed more than 500 times from 1927 onward. He performed it for the last time on his 70th birthday, after suffering three heart attacks and having a lung removed. He also directed productions, including La traviata in 1951 at the Maly Opera Theatre in Leningrad and Werther in 1957 at the Bolshoi. Toward the end of his career he gave concerts of Russian classic romances and folk songs, with performances aired on the radio, and taught at the Moscow Conservatory as associate professor. He was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

Reader's Guide

Sergei Lemeshev's significance lies in his status as one of the leading tenors of the Bolshoi Theatre and a cultural icon in the Soviet Union. His soft, light lyrical tenor and his acting skills made him immensely popular, sparking 'Lemeshev-mania' among fans, especially women known as 'lemeshistki,' who would crowd the theatre lobby and follow him through the streets. His rivalry with tenor Ivan Kozlovsky was well-known, with their respective fan groups—'lemeshistki' and 'kozlovityanki'—occasionally scuffling. Lemeshev's repertoire was primarily Russian, but also included French, Italian, and German works, almost all performed in Russian. He was the first artist to sing all 100 romances by Tchaikovsky in five concerts in 1938. His health struggles—singing with one lung for six years after tuberculosis treatment—demonstrate his dedication. He authored the book 'The Way to Art' in 1968, and asteroid 4561 was named after him in 1978. Despite few complete opera recordings, his legacy endures through numerous live recordings and his influence on Russian vocal tradition.

Did You Know?

• Lemeshev was the first artist to sing all 100 romances by Tchaikovsky in five concerts, in 1938.
• He sang with only one lung from 1942 to 1948 after being treated with artificial pneumothorax for tuberculosis.
• His female fans were jokingly called 'lemeshistki,' and they sometimes scuffled with fans of his rival Ivan Kozlovsky, called 'kozlovityanki.'
• He performed his signature role as Lensky in Eugene Onegin more than 500 times, the last time on his 70th birthday after suffering three heart attacks and having a lung removed.
• Asteroid number 4561 was named Lemeshev in 1978, a year after his death.