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Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin (February 13 1873 – April 12, 1938) was a Russian opera singer.
The possessor of a large, deep and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important
international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing
the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.[1] During the first
phase of his career, Chaliapin endured direct competition from three other great
basses: the powerful Lev Sibiriakov (1869–1942), the more lyrical Vladimir Kastorsky
(1871–1948), and Dmitri Buchtoyarov (1866–1918), whose voice lay between the extremes
exemplified by Sibiriakov and Kastorsky. The fact that Chaliapin is far and away
the best remembered of this magnificent quartet of rival basses is a testament to
the magnetic power of his personality, the acuteness of his musical interpretations,
and the vividness of his performances.