Paata Burchuladze was a famed bass before he became a famed politician.

Born on Feb. 12, 1955, in then-Soviet Georgia, he studied music at the Tbilisi Conservatoire and made his student debut in 1976. He would then make his mark at a number of singing competitions and performed a number of roles at the Tbilisi Opera House. From 1978-1981 he trained further in Milan and debuted at La Scala.

In 1984, he debuted at the Covent Garden and then in 1987, he made his U.S. debut in Philadelphia in 1987 and his Met debut came in 1989.

In 2016 he formed a new political organization and ran for parliamentary election. His party ultimately failed and in 2016 he withdrew from politics and returned to opera. In 2017, he became the director of the opera division of the Mikhailovsky Theater.

Among the accolades he has garnered are the People’s Artist, the Shota Rustaveli State Prize, the Order of Honor, and the Presidential Order of Excellence from Georgia, among others.

Signature Roles

The bass would perform a wide range of repertory, but there is no denying that the roles of Verdi would become major fixtures of his career. Per musicologist Elizabeth Forbes, his “magnificent dark-toned voice and imposing stature are ideal for both the Russian repertory and Giuseppe Verdi’s bass roles.” He performed roles in Verdi’s “Ernani,” “Nabucco,” “Simon Boccanegra,” “Don Carlo,” “Luisa Miller,” and I Lombardi,” among others.

Read More on Burchuladze

A Look At His Foray Into Politics

Watch and Listen

Here is an album of Russian songs.

An another of famed opera arias.