Nicolai Ghiaurov

"Ghiaurov" redirects here. For the peak, see Ghiaurov Peak.
Nicolai Ghiaurov
Born(1929-09-13)September 13, 1929
Velingrad, Bulgaria
DiedJune 2, 2004(2004-06-02) (aged 74)
Modena, Italy
OccupationOpera singer (bass)
Spouses
Zlatina Mishakova
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(m. 1956; div. 1977)​
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(m. 1978)​

Nicolai Ghiaurov (or Nikolai Gjaurov, Nikolay Gyaurov, Bulgarian: Николай Гяуров) (September 13, 1929 – June 2, 2004) was a Bulgarian opera singer and one of the most famous basses of the postwar period.[1][2] He was admired for his powerful, sumptuous voice, and was particularly associated with roles of Mussorgsky and Verdi.[3] Ghiaurov married the Bulgarian pianist Zlatina Mishakova in 1956 and Italian soprano Mirella Freni in 1978, and the two singers frequently performed together. They lived in Modena until Ghiaurov's death in 2004 of a heart attack.

  1. ^ Celletti, Rodolfo; Blyth, Alan (2001). "Ghiaurov, Nicolai". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.). New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. 9 (2nd ed.). Macmillan Publishers Limited. p. 811.
  2. ^ Midgette, Anne (June 3, 2004). "Nicolai Ghiaurov, Operatic Bass, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  3. ^ Blyth, Alan (5 June 2004). "Nicolai Ghiaurov, Gifted operatic bass who commanded the international stage for 30 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2016.