Biography

Soviet baritone opera singer, who performed in the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow from 1940 until his retirement from stage in 1966.

Pavel Lisitsian was born into an Armenian family living in the Russian city of Vladikavkaz, where his father was a mineworker. Pavel first worked in diamond drilling, then as a welder apprentice hoping to follow his father's career. He first began to sing in a church choir before moving to Leningrad to study cello (1930).

As a strong-voiced soloist of a local amateur group, he was commissioned to the Leningrad Conservatory.

He started his vocal career in the Maly Leningrad State Opera Theatre and then in the Yerevan Opera House, where he performed the leads for three years.

From 1940 to 1966, Pavel Lisitsian was the soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre and performed parts of Yeletsky, Onegin, Mazepa and Robert (in Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades”, Eugene Onegin, Mazepa, and Iolanta respectively), Germont and Amonasro (in Verdi's “Traviata” and “Aida”), Escamillo (in Bizet’s “Carmen”), Tatul (Spendiarov’s “Almast”), Arsaces II (in Chuhadzhyan's “Arshak II”), Napoleon (in Prokofiev's “War and Peace”) and others.

During a concert tour to the US in 1960, he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as Amonasro. He died in Moscow art age 92.

His daughters Karina and Ruzanna are successful opera singers that frequently perform together. His granddaughter pianist Elena Lisitsian lives in New York City and his grandson Paul Asoyan lives in Encinitas, California.

Ref.: Horst Seeger, Opernlexikon, 4th ed. 1989, Henschelverlag Kunst und Gesellschaft Berlin, GDR, ISBN 3-362-00014-2
Oxford Music Online, Alan Blyth: "Lisitsian, Pavel"