Today's column "Legends of the Bolshoi Theatre" features a story about David Alexandrovich Gamrekeli, a Soviet Georgian opera singer (baritone). People's Artist of the Georgian SSR. Honoured Art Worker of the RSFSR. Winner of the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1950).David Gamrekeli was a Soviet Georgian opera singer (baritone). People's Artist of the Georgian SSR. Honoured Artist of the RSFSR. The Stalin Prize of the first class awardee (1950).

Gamrekeli was born in Chiatura, Western Georgia in August, 1911. He graduated from the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, class of Professor Eugene Vronsky in 1935. The same year young baritone sang the part of Prince Yeletsky from the opera "Queen of Spades" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 1937, Moscow hosted a decade of Georgian art, during which David Gamrekeli performed the part of Kiazo from the opera "Daisi" ("Sunset") by Zakharia Paliashvili.
In 1944, together with another renown Georgian singer David Badridze, he starred in the film of Siko Dolidze and David Rondeli “The Shield of Djurgai”.
A new stage in the artistic career of David Gamrekeli dawned soon – he was invited to the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre as a soloist. The Georgian baritone spent eight years, from 1944 to 1952, on the main stage of the Soviet Union. The State Television and Radio Repository features collection of about thirty records made by the singer in various years. In 1947, he performed the role of Lenin's envoy Commissar (Sergo Ordzhonikidze was the prototype) in the opera “The great Friendship” by Vano Muradeli. He was performing as a chamber singer. The works by P. Tchaikovsky, S. Rachmaninoff and Georgian folk songs dominated in his repertoire. Since 1967, he taught at the Vocal Department of the Moscow State Conservatory.
David Gamrekeli died in 1977.

Musical selection for the birthday of David Gamrekeli  is posted in the museum “Collection” Sound Library.

Operatic parts of David Gamrekeli:
Eugene Onegin in "Eugene Onegin" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Yeletsky in “The Queen of Spades” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Rigoletto in "Rigoletto" by Giuseppe Verdi
Alfredo Germont in "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi
Escamillo in “Carmen” by George Bizet
Kiaso in "Daisy" by Zacharia Paliashvili