Metropolitan Opera Archives

Out of Bulgaria has come Nicolai Ghiaurov. He is a basso, 36 years old, and has been receiving the kind of adulation all over the world normally reserved for sopranos and tenors, and last night he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera. "Faust" was the vehicle-not a bad opera to display the gifts of a basso.

The man indeed is sensational. He not only has a remarkable voice, but he is also big in every way. A good actor, though somewhat of the old school, he simply dominated the stage. He has presence, the kind that his illustrious predecessors had, the kind that jumps over the footlights and seizes the listener in a palpable embrace.

If the voice has any defect, it is in the lower range, where it sounds just a shade thin and even uncomfortable. But around a C it takes on strength, and from there it is a thing of glory. They say that Mr. Ghiaurov can go up to high A full voice. The equivalent would be something like a running high jump of nine feet.

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