Nadezhda Repina

Nadezhda Vasilyevna Repina (Russian: Наде́жда Васи́льевна Ре́пина) (October 7 [O.S. September 25] 1809 – December 2 [O.S. November 20] 1867) was a Russian actress and singer (soprano).

Vasily Repin became a musician in the orchestra of the Moscow Imperial troupe, and gave his daughter in 1816 at the Moscow Imperial theater сollege. Her musical and acting talent were noticed right away.

She made her debut in several operas and vaudevilles in 1823.

At this time the Moscow Imperial troupe not had its theaters - they all were burned. Performances were held in the homes of wealthy Muscovites. At the end of 1824, a rich merchant Vasily Vargin gave his house to the Moscow Imperial troupe - now this is Maly Theatre (Moscow), it was opened on 14 October 1824.

At the same time, architects Andrei Mikhailov and Joseph Bové had built a new theatre on the place of the burnt theatre of Michael Maddox – now this is Bolshoi Theatre; it opened on 18 January 1825.

Nadezhda Repina became the first prima donna these theaters. Her talent took all genres: opera, operetta, comedy, vaudeville, drama, tragedy.

Many playwrights wrote leading roles for her in their plays (Dmitry Lensky, Alexandr Pisarev). Sergei Aksakov called her the “adornment of the Moscow stage”.

She was especially successful in comedies and vaudevilles where her partner was the famous Russian actor Mikhail Shchepkin.

She was a pupil and then wife of the composer Alexey Verstovsky. He wrote his operas and musical vaudevilles for her.

Among Nadezhda Repina's roles:

etc.

The repertoire of Nadezhda Repina was huge; she sang some 100 operatic roles, not counting roles in drama performances.

Alexey Verstovsky was not only a composer, he became the head of Music department at the Moscow Imperial troupe. He knew that would be expected large changes and, fearing that they would affect to his wife, asked without her knowledge to the Directorate for her dismissal.

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