Jānis Zābers - The Dream (Rachmaninov)

With a tragically short career that lasted barely a decade, the phenomenal Latvian tenor Jānis Zābers (1935-1973) was never really afforded the opportunity to make his mark on the international opera scene. As a Latvian national, Zābers was part of a minority in the former Soviet Union, which may have played a part in the neglect from which his career suffered. By the time the Western world discovered this amazing singer, time had already run out for him. One can only speculate on the tremendous career he might have enjoyed if he had been born in a different place and time.
Born in Medona County, Latvia, Zābers learned to play violin, guitar and piano before becoming interested in singing during his high school years. Following studies with Latvian tenor Alexander Vilumanis at the Latvian State Conservatory, the young singer made his operatic debut in the secondary role of Narraboth in Strauss’ Salome. As a grad student, the young tenor traveled to Italy in 1962 (the first Soviet artist of his generation to do so) to continue his studies at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome. Several months later, Zābers was accepted into the young artist development program at La Scala. Despite the positive attention he garnered for his singing, the young tenor grew homesick and, the following year, returned to Latvia.
Now singing primarily at the Soviet Latvian Opera (now the Latvian National Opera), Zābers’ limited but diverse repertoire (24 roles in all) included Vladimir in Borodin’s Prince Igor, Herman in Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Alfredo in La Traviata, Manrico in Il Trovatore, the title role in Gounod’s Faust and the most celebrated role of his career, Antins in Žilinskis’ opera The Golden Horse, which he sang over fifty times. A popular singer in his homeland, he received the title of Honored Artist of the Latvian SSR in 1965. During the late 1960s, it appeared that Zābers was about to break through the Iron Curtain. There were appearances at the 1967 Canadian National Expo in Montreal, as well as appearances in Finland and Germany. An international opera career seemed to be on the horizon for Zābers. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
As the 1970s dawned, Zābers’ health began to deteriorate. A serious bout with double pneumonia in May of 1970 compelled the young tenor to cancel appearances in Helsinki. Although Zābers was well enough to resume his singing commitments by that summer, his performances…as well as his behavior…were becoming erratic and rumors began to circulate. There were missed cues, garbled words, strained high notes. Some chalked it up to drinking. Others claimed that the tenor simply didn’t possess the necessary discipline to prepare a stage role. In reality, Zābers had been suffering from blinding headaches, dizzy spells, hallucinations and a persistent tremor in his right hand. Eventually, he had had enough and sought medical attention. Doctors believed that the tenor was suffering from a heart condition and treated his illness as such. In spite of his now precarious health, Zābers bravely carried on. He made his final appearance as Prince Andrey Khovansky in Mussorgsky’s Khovanschina on December 20, 1970. A few weeks later, he sought doctors’ advice again. This time, a more thorough examination was performed. The diagnosis was swift and sobering…the tenor was suffering from a brain tumor. Surgery was performed but the tumor was aggressive. Despite radiation therapy and two additional operations, the tenor’s condition continued to deteriorate. Eventually, he withdrew from public view, not wanting his fans to see him in such a deplorable state. Although doctors spent two years aggressively treating Zābers’ illness, nothing could be done to save the tenor. Jānis Zābers was only 37 years old when he passed away in Riga on March 25, 1973.
Jānis Zābers possessed a remarkable spinto instrument that was ideally suited for the heroes of Verdi and Puccini. A tremendously musical and passionate singer, he also excelled in lieder and the art songs of his native Latvia. Sadly, he is scarcely remembered today. Considering that he spent a mere decade before the public and that his career was limited primarily to a single theater, it seems a miracle that Jānis Zābers is remembered at all. The tenor’s recorded legacy, consisting of a handful of albums of arias and songs recorded during the 1960s, received only limited distribution during his lifetime. Fortunately, these rare recordings are a bit easier to find today and provide us with the opportunity to enjoy the glorious voice of this fine tenor, whose life and career were brought to a premature and tragic end. In this recording, Zābers sings Rachmaninov’s “The Dream”. This was recorded during the tenor’s final recital at the University of Latvia’s Great Hall on May 17, 1970, with Hermanis Brauns, piano.

[@palmerplantagenet]

After reading about this singer's history, I listened to over half a dozen of his songs on KZbin and am impressed how emotional his singing was. As a pianist, I can certainly learn from such expression.