Boris Christoff
Boris Christoff was a Bulgarian operatic bass of the 20th century who specialized in roles from Verdi and Mussorgsky. He was also active as a recitalist and made several recordings of songs by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and other Romantic era composers. He was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 1914. His mother was Russian, and his father was a Bulgarian teacher who also sang at a nearby church. Christoff began singing when he was very young, and he sang in the choir at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Although his musical talents were already apparent, he decided to study law at Sofia University. After he finished his schooling in the late 1930s, he worked as a magistrate, and he sang in the Gusla Chorus. This led to his discovery as a singer in 1940, when he performed for King Boris of Bulgaria as a soloist with the chorus. The king was very impressed and offered Christoff a scholarship to learn from Riccardo Stracciari, who was one of the top operatic baritones of the time. In 1942, Christoff left his position as a magistrate and traveled to Rome, where he studied with Stracciari for two years. Then he continued his education with Muratti in Salzburg, but he was detained in a Nazi labor camp near the end of World War II. After his release in 1945 he traveled back to Italy, and in 1946 he made his opera debut in Reggio di Calabria as Colline in Puccini's La boheme. The following year he sang the role of Pimen in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, in debut performances in both Rome and at La Scala. His interpretation of the title role in 1949 at Covent Garden was wildly successful and it became one of his specialties. Throughout the '50s he was in high demand in Europe with appearances in Barcelona and Paris, and he sang several roles at La Scala. In 1956 he made his U.S. debut in the title role of Boris Godunov with the San Francisco Opera. This led to further American engagements with the Chicago Lyric Opera from 1957 to 1963. In addition to his association with the Boris role, he was known for his expertise in Verdi's bass roles, especially King Philip II from Don Carlo. He took a brief hiatus in 1964 when he received medical treatment for a brain tumor. He resumed his music career the following year and maintained a slower pace until his final major U.S. performance in 1980. This also happened to be his debut in New York, although he never sang any operas there. He sang infrequently until his last public appearance in Rome at the Accademia di Bulgaria in 1986. Christoff passed away in Rome in 1993, and his body was buried in the Central Sofia Cemetery in Bulgaria.
© RJ Lambert /TiVo
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Gounod: Faust
Nicolai Gedda, Victoria de los Angeles, Boris Christoff
Opera - Released by Urania on Jan 1, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
Boris Christoff, Tito Gobbi, Victoria de los Angeles, Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Gabriele Santini
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 9, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gounod: Faust (1953 Version)
Victoria de los Angeles, Boris Christoff, Nicolai Gedda, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, André Cluytens
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Modesto Musorgskij: Boris Godunov
Boris Christoff, Reginald Goodall, Orchestra of the Covent Garden Opera, Chorus of the Covent Garden Opera
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on Oct 5, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of Boris Christoff
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 17, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: The Complete Songs
Boris Christoff, Georges Tzipine, Alexandre Labinsky, Gerald Moore, French National Radio Orchestra
Classical - Released by Andromeda on Aug 14, 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Mighty Boris
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 4, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Airs & Chants russes
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Sep 3, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bulgarian And Russian Orthodox Chants
World - Released by KVZ Music Ltd. on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky : Songs
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 15, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Boris Christoff
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on Aug 27, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Russian Melodies
Boris Christoff, Balalaika Orchester Dima Liakhoff, Dima Liakhoff
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Boris Christoff (Vol.2)
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on Feb 27, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boito: Mefistofele
Boris Christoff, Giacinto Prandelli, Orietta Moscucci
Opera - Released by Urania on Jan 1, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boris Christoff - The Great Russian Bass Roles
Classical - Released by Regis Records on Jan 1, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov
Boris Christoff, Nicolai Gedda, Eugenia Zareska, Kim Borg, Orchestre National de France, Issay Dobrowen
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jun 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: I Vespri Siciliani
Erich Kleiber, Maria Callas, Boris Christoff
Opera - Released by Urania on Apr 30, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangeneit - Boris Christoff (Vol. 4)
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on Oct 6, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Russian Opera Arias and Songs
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 26, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Don Carlo · Mozart: 3 arie per basso e orchestra K.512, K.513, K.432
Boris Christoff, Jon Vickers, Carlo Maria Giulini, Royal Opera House Orchestra
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on Apr 28, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: Ernani
Mario del Monaco, Boris Christoff, Ettore Bastianini, Orchestra E Coro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Opera - Released by Past Classics on Jan 2, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo