Boris Pinkhasovich is one of today’s rising baritones. Born in Saint Petersburg to a family of musicians, he studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory of Music and in 2011 became an ensemble member at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. His career eventually went international after major debuts at the Royal Opera House, Paris Opera, Monte Carlo Opera, and Wiener Staatsoper Since then he has also performed at teh Teatro alla Scala, Semperoper Dresden, and Bayerische Staatsoper.
And this season the baritone heads to New York to make his Metropolitab Opera debut. OperaWire spoke to Pinkhasovich about his rise to stardom, performing Tchaikovsky and his upcoming debuts. OperaWire: This season you sang in “The Queen of Spades” in a new production at the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Tell me about this role and what excites you about singing Tchaikovsky’s work. Boris Pinkhasovich: For me, performing Tchaikovsky is not only a great joy but also a great responsibility. Just as Italians rightfully claim Verdi and embody the style and emotions of his music, we, Russian singers, can proudly say “Viva Tchaikovsky” and look up to him, because his music, with its emotional depth, means everything to us.
Yeletsky is a role I have sung many times, but it never loses its excitement and fresh emotion when I sing the aria “Ya vas lyublyu”- a striking example of Tchaikovsky’s genius. OW: How does singing in Russian differ from singing in French and Italian? BP: For me, it.