•People's Artist of Russia. •Recipient of the State Prize of Russia. •Recipient of the Russian opera prize CASTA DIVA – singer of the year (2004). •Recipient of the Baltika prize (2002). •Awarded the Golden Mask, Russia?s highest theatre prize, for best male role in Wagner?s opera Parsifal (1998). •Awarded the Golden Sofit for his portrayal of Gurnemanz (Parsifal, 1997).
Born in Staraya Vitelevka, Ulyanovsk Region. Graduated from the Leningrad State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire in 1979 (class of B. Lushin and N. Velter). Mariinsky Theatre soloist since 1989.
His repertoire includes over fifty roles, among them: Ivan Susanin (A Life for the Tsar), Varlaam, Pimen (Boris Godunov), Ivan Khovansky (Khovanshchina), Konchak (Prince Igor), Prince Gudal (The Demon), Prince Gremin (Eugene Onegin), the Sea King (Sadko), Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia), Vasily Sobakin (The Tsar?s Bride), the bass role in Les Noces, Kutuzov (War and Peace), the Doctor (The Nose), Banco (Macbeth), Padre Guardiano, Alcalde (La forza del destino), Ramfis (Aida), Timur (Turandot), Commendatore (Don Giovanni), Don Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte), King Marke (Tristan und Isolde), Donner (Das Rheingold), Hunding (Die Walkure), Gurnemanz (Parsifal), Verdi?s Requiem, Mozart?s Requiem and Sofia Gubaidulina?s St John?s Passion.
Has toured with the Mariinsky Opera Company to Germany, France, Scotland (the Edinburgh Festival), Israel, the USA (Metropolitan Opera), Finland, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Portugal, Luxembourg and Turkey. Audio and video recordings with the Mariinsky Theatre include War and Peace, Ruslan and Lyudmila, Iolanta, Sadko, The Fiery Angel and The Tsar?s Bride.