Anatoli Orfenov – Lyric Tenor

Born: 1908
Died: 1987
Russian Tenor.

It was quite extraordinary that Russia should produce two such outstanding lyric tenors as Kovlovsky and Lemeshev at exactly the same time. We could expect to have a long wait for another of the same caliber. Even more extraordinary then was the fact that another two very fine lyric tenors followed immediately in their footsteps. These were Anatoly Orfanov and Gorgi Vinogradov.

It must be said that neither had that special and unique individuality that characterised their illustrious predecessors, and their names are less well known in collector’s circles. Nevertheless, they represent a remarkable continuation of the Russian Lyric-Tenor tradition, and that long wait mentioned earlier has materialised because no other has come forward during the last 30 years to take their place.

Orfenov had a long and distinguished career at the Bolshoi from 1942 to 1968, singing in many of the lyric parts famous in Russian operas such as Prince Igor, Boris Godunov, The Snow Maiden, Eugene Onega and The Demon. Italian opera also attracted his attention and he sang both in Verdi’s Traviata and Rigoletto and also in Rossini’s Barber of Seville at the Bolshoi. And from the French repertoire, he sang there in Gunnow’s Faust and Romeo and Juliet.

Here he is in a Russian aria from Seraph Judith.
And then from Rossini’s La Cenerentola, we hear Ramiro’s aria.

I have not been able to trace any appearances by Orfenov in the West. He was of course famous all over the Soviet Union because in addition to his Bolshoi appearances, he was on tour regularly and was also a prominent broadcaster on Soviet radio. He did travel and sing though in the Eastern Bloc, appearing in Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Poland and East Germany. An unusual, venture perhaps was his appearances in Iran.

He has left us some lovely records, very difficult to come by, I may add. None more exotic than this extract from Glears, Zafi Zeman, full of Eastern promise and Turkish delight, and with an ending fit to be chronicled in the Arabian Nights.