Paata Burchuladze

Biography

Born in Georgia, he studied at the Tbilisi Conservatory and La Scala, Milan. He made his British opera debut as Ramfis for The Royal Opera with Luciano Pavarotti and Katia Ricciarelli with Zubin Metha conducting, and returned to the Royal Opera as Rossini’s Don Basilio, Konchak (Prince Igor), Grand Inquisitor (Fiery Angel), Tsar Dodon (Golden Cockerel), Boris Godunov, Attila, Walther (Luisa Miller), Timur, Fiesco and Sobakin (The Tsar’s Bride).

Paata Burchuladze has won several competitions including the international vocal competition Voci Verdiane in Busseto (1981), the gold medal and first prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1982), and first prize at International Luciano Pavarotti Competition (1985).

Further productions have taken him to all the major opera houses around the world. A highlight of Mr Burchuladze’s career was working with maestro Herbert von Karajan in opera and concert performances, including at the Salzburg Festival 1987 singing the role of Commendatore in Don Giovanni. In Salzburg he has also performed in the Verdi and Mozart Requiems both conducted by Karajan and returned to Salzburg in summer 2002 for a new production of Turandot with a new ending written by Berio and conducted by Valery Gergiev.

Recent engagements include Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra and Gala concerts with Placido Domingo at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Boris Godunov at the Palau de les Arts Valencia, Banco in Macbeth at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Kotshubej in Mazeppa in Monte Carlo, Commendatore in Don Giovanni for Paris Opera and Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro and Zaccaria in Nabucco at the Metropolitan Opera. Engagements in the 12/13 season and beyond include Sparafucile in Rigoletto in Valencia, Boris Godunov and Prince Igor at the Bolshoi, Konchak in Prince Igor for Hamburg State Opera, an opera Gala concert in the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera and Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

In 2012 Paata Burchuladze performed the role of Boris Godunov at the Bolshoi Theatre. In 2013 he took part in the production of Prince Igor, singing the part of Khan Konchak (conductor Vassily Sinaisky, director Yuri Lyubimov).

In February 1998, Paata Burchuladze became the first Georgian to be acclaimed Prince by the Russian Orthodox Church, and in July 1998 the State Opera of Stuttgart awarded his loyalty with the title Kammersänger. Mr Burchuladze holds the titles of United Nations goodwill ambassador, UNICEF Goodwill ambassador, and Commendatore in Italy. He has many recordings with DECCA and Phillips.


These performances of Paata Burchuladze in the Bolshoi Theatre are made possible by the kind assistance of Patero Development