Dmitri Alexeievich Smirnov
| Dimitri Smirnoff | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Dimitri Alexeyevich Smirnoff (Smirnov) November 19, 1882 Moscow, Russian Empire |
| Died | April 27, 1944 (aged 61) Riga, USSR |
| Other names | Dmitry Dimitri Dmitri Smirnov Smirnoff |
| Occupation | Operatic singer |
| Years active | 1903-1930s |
Dimitri Alexeyevich Smirnoff (Smirnov) (Russian: Дмитрий Алексеевич Смирнов, November 19 [O.S. November 7] 1882 – April 27, 1944) was a leading Russian operatic tenor with a lyric voice and a bravura singing technique.
A Muscovite, Smirnoff was a student of Emiliya Pavlovskaya and Alexander Dodonov. He made his début in St Petersburg in 1903 as Gigi in Eugenio Domenico Esposito's La Camorra. The venue was the Hermitage Theatre. In 1904, Smirnoff became a member of the Bolshoi company in Moscow, singing there until 1910. He then sang at the Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, from 1911 to 1917. (He had first appeared at the Mariinsky in 1907.)
Smirnoff made his French début at the Paris Opéra in 1907. His successful Parisian performances led to an invitation for him to appear at the Metropolitan Opera, where he sang in 1911-12. Competition from the celebrated international tenors Enrico Caruso and John McCormack, who were also singing at the Met at that time, resulted in Smirnoff's achieving limited success with New York audiences. In 1914, he performed in the "Russian Seasons" at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He would not sing in the United States again except for two performances of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades with the Washington National Opera—a semi-professional company not related to its present namesake—in 1926.
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