Paata Burchuladze

Paata Burchuladze

 

Paata Burchuladze graduated in 1977 from the Tbilisi State Conservatoire. He studied under the supervision of Giulietta Simionato and Edoardo Mueller at Milan's Teatro alla Scala.

In 1981 he became the winner of the international vocal competition Voci Verdiane in Busseto and also the winner of gold medal and first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow in 1982. In 1985 he triumphed again at the International Luciano Pavarotti Competition. In 1986 he won the first prize at Maria Callas Competition in Frankfurt.

He is the Honoured Artist of Georgia, the  Honorary Citizen of Philadelphia, holder of Liberty Bell – symbolic key to Philadelphia City, holder of the following prizes and awards: Lyrical Song Record – prize awarded by the National Academy of the French Ministry of Culture, Iakob Gogebashvili Award for Charity Activities for Orphans, Zakaria Paliashvili State Award, Shota Rustaveli State Award, Vazha-Pshavela Award, Order of Honour, he is the Honorary Citizen of Tbilisi, Rustavi, Poti, Kutaisi, Chokhatauri, Tsalka, Tsinandali and Odessa, Chevalier of the Medal for the Glory of God and Motherland, Chevalier of the Bishop Deed Medal for participation in a charity concert dedicated to the children victims of Beslan tragedy, UN Goodwill Ambassador for charity activities, awarded the Patriarchate Deed and gold enamel breast icon by benedictions of Ilia II, Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia, awarded St. George golden order by benedictions of Ilia II, Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia. He is Professor Emeritus at the Tbilisi Vano Sarajishvili State Conservatory, awarded the title of Prince by benedictions of Alexy II, Patriarch of All Russia and resolution of Russian Chamber of Personalities, the title of Kammersanger, Honorary Performer of Germany.

He is the Founder and President of Iavnana Charity Foundation. 

Mr. Burchuladze's discography comprises: Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Simon Boccanegra, Aida and Ernani for DECCA, Don Giovanni, Messa da Requiem, La Forza del Destino, Eugene Onegin and Khovanshchina with Deutsche Grammophon, Rigoletto with EMI, La Bohème and Nabucco with Koch-Schwann as well as Samson et Dalila for Philips. In February 1998, Paata Burchuladze became the first Georgian to be acclaimed the title of Prince by the Russian orthodox church. The State Opera of Stuttgart awarded his loyalty with the Kammersänger title in July 1998.

He first caused a major sensation at London's Royal Opera House, where he made his debut in 1984 with the role of Ramfis in Aida alongside Katia Ricciarelli and Luciano Pavarotti and conducted by Zubin Mehta.

From then on, he conquered all the major opera theatres around the globe: Teatro alla Scala (Nabucco, Aida, Luisa Miller, Simon Boccanegra, Macbeth, I Lombardi, The Fiery Angel), the Vienna State Opera (Luisa Miller, Boris Godunov, Khovanshchina), the Bavarian State Opera (Boris Godunov, Nabucco, Macbeth, Aida), the Hamburg State Opera (Khovanshchina, Macbeth, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, La Forza Del Destino, Boris Godunov), the Opéra National de Paris (Boris Godunov, Faust, Nabucco), the San Francisco Opera (Prince Igor), Washington Opera (Don Carlo) as well as the Metropolitan Opera in New York (Boris Godunov, Don Giovanni, Aida, Khovanshchina).

Invited by Herbert von Karajan (who referred to him as the second Chaliapin) he sang the part of Commendatore in Mozart's Don Giovanni at Salzburg Festival in 1987 and with this legendary conductor he starred in The Requièm Mass in D minor by Mozart and the Messa da Requiem by Verdi as well.

Paata Burchuladze received special acclaim for his role of Boris Godunov and he was invited to inaugurate the Met season 1990-91 with that role which he sang also in London at Covent Garden and in the State Operas of Vienna and Munich as well (the latter opera company saw him singing his 100th performance of Boris in July 1995).

Apart from his operatic fame, Paata Burchuladze is a celebrated and refined concert and recital singer as well, performing regularly with the most important festivals and producers worldwide (La Scala, Musikverein and Konzerthaus Vienna, Salzburg Festival, Covent Garden, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Bavarian State Opera, Stuttgart State Opera, Tonhalle Zurich, La Monnaie in Brussels, Opéra Bastille and Salle Gaveau in Paris, Solothurn, the Palau in Barcelona, Theatres of Seville, Warsaw, Moscow, etc.). Paata Burchuladze was on tours in the following countries: Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Baltic Republics, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Monaco, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, the Canaries, the Great Britain, the USA. He had performances with the following conductors: Giuseppe Patane, Anton Guadano, Richard Boning, Collin Davis, Gianluigi Gelmetti, George Solti, Claudio Abado, James Levine, Ricardo Mutti, Lorin Maazel, Herbert von Karajan. ,His repertoire also includes: Osmin (The Abduction from the Seraglio), Sarastro (The Magic Flute), Attila (Attila), Procida (Les vêpres siciliennes), Ferrando (Il Trovatore), Timur (Turandot), Alvise Badoero (La Gioconda), Mefistofele (Mefistofele), Pizarro (Fidelio), Méphistophélès (Faust), Brogni (La juive), Abimélech (Samson et Dalila), Mâtho (Salammbô), René (Yolanta), King Dodon (The Golden Cockerel), bass parts in Stabat Mater by A. Dvorak, Romances by M. Glinka, A. Dargomishsky, M. Mussorgsky, P. Tchaikovsky, S. Rakhmaninoff, A. Aretsky, Italian and Georgian songs and romances.