Georgi Pavlovich Vinogradov (November 16,1908-November 11,1980) was a Russian tenor. He was born in Kazan and died in Moscow. While studying engineering he also studied violin and viola at the Kazan State Conservatory, and was later a student at the Military Academy of Communications. He took singing lessons and performed in amateur concerts at the same time. In 1937 he studied at the Tatar Opera Studio in Kazan, and completed his musical studies at the Moscow Conservatory. When he performed on the All-Union Radio channel he was heard by the vocal instructor Mikhail L'vovich Lvov. Lvov is credited with making Vinogradov into a professional singer – with lessons in diction, breathing, flexibility, and finally in producing the sound he became famous for. Later studies were with Valeria Vladimirovna Barsova, a Bolshoi Opera soprano with whom he also made two duet recordings with. On the radio, Vinogradov sang a wide range of material from jazz to art songs. Georgi Vinogradov was engaged as a Soviet national radio soloist, and between 1943-1951 was a soloist with the Red Army Choir, the Soviet Army's official army chorus and song and dance ensemble conducted by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov. After that, he became a soloist with Radio Moscow (later known as the Voice of Russia). Vinogradov never performed on the opera stage (and he never joined an opera company), but he participated in many radio performances including Don Giovanni, Manon, Mignon, and numerous Russian operas. There are rumors that Vinogradov’s career went into swift decline following a barroom brawl with a Polish officer. His lyric tenor voice has been described as one of effortless and pure poetic beauty, with flawless diction and phrasing. Another critic described his voice as being infused with an "indescribably poetic beauty".
Discography
Vinogradov left a considerable discography of arias, song cycles, and popular music – with the bulk, 125 items, released originally on Melodiya. A discography is available at [1]
