| For a quarter of a century, Evgeniya Smolenskaya (1919-1989) performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre. She possessed a beautiful lyrical-dramatic soprano with a wide range, a light, clear timbre, flexibility, and an excellent vocal technique. She created many memorable vocal and scenic images mainly in operas by Russian composers. Her heyday was in the 1940’s and 50’s, when, together with such remarkable colleagues as N. Pokrovskaya, N. Sokolova, N. Chubenko, and E. Shumilova, she continued the distinguished line of the Bolshoi Theatre’s pantheon of outstanding sopranos of the previous generation - K. Derzhinskaya, A. Matova, E. Slivinskaya, S. Zorich, and A. Byshevskaya.
Evgeniya Smolenskaya was born in the village of Stenki, Ekaterinoslav Province (now Donetsk Region) into the family of the local blacksmith. She studied at the pedagogical college, taught at school and performed in amateur performances. Between 1939 and 1941 she studied at the Kiev Conservatory. In 1941, during the Second World War, Smolenskaya went to the front and was a soloist of the army’s amateur ensemble. Between 1945 and 1947, Smolenskaya performed the roles of Lisa («The Queen of Spades» by P. Tchaikovsky), Natasha («Rusalka» by A. Dargomyzhsky), and Masha («Dubrovsky» by E. Napravnik) at the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre while also taking vocal tuition with E. Panaeva, a teacher at the Donetsk Music College.
Between 1947-1972 Smolenskaya was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre. On this stage, she performed her best roles, including Natasha («Rusalka»), Yaroslavna («Prince Igor» by A. Borodin), Gorislava («Ruslan and Lyudmila» by M. Glinka), Liza, Kuma («The Queen of Spades», «The Enchantress» by P. Tchaikovsky), Emma («Khovanshchina» by M. Mussorgsky), Militrisa, Vera Sheloga («The Tale of Tsar Saltan», «The Nobelwoman Vera Sheloga» by N. Rimsky-Korsakov), and Elena («The Decembrists» by Yu. Shaporin). Of the foreign operas in her repertoire were the parts of Aida («Aida» by G. Verdi) and Santuzza («Cavalleria rusticana» by P. Mascagni). In the 1960s, Smolenskaya gradually switched to performing more mature roles - the Mistress of the Tavern («Boris Godunov» by Mussorgsky), Larina and the Governess («Eugene Onegin», «The Queen of Spades» by Tchaikovsky), Bertha («The Barber of Seville» by G. Rossini), Marcelina («The Marriage of Figaro» by V.A. Mozart), Domna Saburova («The Tsar’s Bride» by Rimsky-Korsakov), Olga Mironovna («The Decembrists» by Shaporin), and Peronskaya («War and Peace» by S. Prokofiev). After retiring from the stage, E. Smolenskaya taught at Moscow music schools and at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts.
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