29th August 2017 is the day when an outstanding opera singer, Honored Artist of the USSR Valery Egudin turns 80. The whole artistic life of one of the best tenors of the country is connected to the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, where he had been working more than fifty years, and ten of them (1992 - 2001) directing the theatre.
“Valery Egudin had always been a man of broad soul and enormous creative potential, which shone bright during his artistic life and later on, while he was heading the theatre and the Novosibirsk department of the Theatre Union of Russia – told Vladimir Mikhailovich Kaluzhsky, Artistic Director of the Novosibirsk State Philharmonic Society – I always considered Valery Egudin one of the titans of the Novosibirsk musical heritage among Arnold Kats, Isidor Zak, Lidiya Myasnikova, the ones who built up its name”.
Valery Egudin was born in Kotovsk, Odessa Oblast, then his family moved to Siberia. There he went to an evening school, then a training college in Eniseysk, Krasnoyarsk Krai. In 1960 Valery Egudin entered M. I. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory, and during the second year he was invited to the NGATOiB Company and made his debut as the Preacher in M. Magidenko’s opera “In the path of the Thunder”. On his fourth year at the conservatory he managed to perform Herman of “The Queen of Spades”, a very complex part both vocally and dramatically. This role had become his star turn.
“Valery Grigorievich is a figure that the whole Russian artistic society may be proud of. We started together at the theatre – he came in 1964, I came the next year. He was familiar with lyricism, but vocally and artistically he was a great dramatic tenor, I may even say heroic tenor, as needed as rare at that time – recalls Zinaida Didenko, Honored Artist of RSFSR – Egudin was an outstanding singer and brilliant actor, deserving to have performances written for him. He was trusted to sing Herman while he was still a student, and that is an extraordinary case. Each part sung by Egudin deserves to be the subject of a thesis – the way he worked on stage was a true Craftsmanship, with the capital ‘C’. Valery Egudin loved the audience and the audience loved him back; I’m proud to have worked alongside him ”
For 30 years Valery Egudin had been the lead soloist of the theatre, matchless performer of Othello, Sadko, Rodolfo, Cavaradossi, Radamès, Manrico, Don José, Herman and many other. His repertoire includes Pierre (Pyotr) Bezukhov (Prokofiev’s “War and Peace”), Jontek (Moniuszko’s “Halka”), Don Ottavio (Mozart’s “Don Juan”), Daland's steersman (Wagner’s “Flying Dutchman”), Florestan (Beethoven’s “Fidelio”), Chevalier Renato des Grieux (Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut”). On the Novosibirsk stage Valery Egudin has sung about 60 parts in total.
“We worked a lot as stage partners with Valery Egudin, but his most significant role, in my opinion, was Othello. There is still no match to him, considering this part. Also his Herman from “The Queen of Spades” is incomparable. While we were still studying at the conservatory we would go numerous times see that performance only to watch him sing the thunder scene – recalls Yury Komov, soloist of the Novosibirsk opera, Honored Artist of Russia – opera was not his only strength - his powerful, truly Russian big-hearted performances of folk and Soviet songs left no one aloof. I am happy I had a chance to tell Valery Grigorievich while he was still alive, how proud I was to share the stage with him”.
Valery Egudin had been heading the solo performance department at M. I. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory for almost 20 years, he has developed a lecture course “History of Vocal Arts”, conducted master classes at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, in Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts (Germany). Nowadays, his disciples are working at the theatres in Russia and abroad.
“After finishing military service I entered the Novosibirsk conservatory, and Valery Grigorievich was heading the Vocal faculty. I was not studying directly under him, but he was surprisingly warm and open hearted to all the students, trying to share his immense stage experience with everyone – recalls Vladimir Ognev, NOVAT soloist, Honored Artist of Russia – I was on my second year at the conservatory when he invited me to the Novosibirsk theatre company and then entrusted me to sing Salieri of “Mozart and Salieri”. That was a sign of supreme trust and I am endlessly grateful to Valery Grigorievich”.
In 1992 Valery Egudin took up a position as a director at the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet theatre. During a hard time of 1990s his direction led the theatre to a significant success, helped it receive a number of prestigious awards and prizes. “He had a massive, yet subtle and versatile personality, fully understanding the essence of the theatre. His authority was enormous. I was a beginner artist at that time, when I heard him say: “Theatre is an industry, in the first place”. I was stunned by that, since I came to the theatre to make art. Later on, I learned that theatre really is a huge factory producing artistic values”.
“We must appreciate and keep in mind our theatre history, especially the people, who created the heritage of our opera theatre with their talent and effort – mentioned Vyacheslav Starodubtsev, Chief Stage Director of the Novosibirsk opera – Egudin is not just a theatre legend, he is also a person who had played an essential role in the musical history of Siberia”. 7th September, the day new theatre season starts, another tree will be planted on the Theatre Avenue in memory of an outstanding theatre figure, Honored Artist of the USSR, Professor Valery Egudin.
