Opera Scotland

Miroslav Čangalović Suggest updates

Born Glamoč, 3 March 1921.

Yugoslav (Serbian) bass.

Miroslav Čangalović trained in Belgrade and was based there throughout his career. As one of the acknowledged stars of the Belgrade Opera at the time of its Edinburgh visit, he performed many of the major bass roles of the Russian repertoire. In addition, the company revived a great rarity for him, in Massenet's Don Quichotte, which was performed widely in Europe, beginning in Paris in 1957.

His debut, in 1946, was as Pimen, and he later sang Boris both at home and as a guest in Basle, Zürich and Geneva. At this time the company performed Prince Igor, Khovanshchina and Boris Godunov, as well as works by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Prokofiev. His non-Russian roles ranged from Mozart (Leporello, Sarastro) to Gounod (Méphistophélès) and Verdi (Philip II). He also appeared regularly in Italy, Germany and Poland.

In the absence then, for political reasons, of Soviet recordings, the Belgrade company was highly respected at this period for its recordings of several rarities made by Decca in 1955. He took leading roles in operas by Glinks (Ivan Susanin), Mussorgsky (Boris, Dosifei), Tchaikovsky (Gremin). He sang similar parts during the company's 1962 Edinburgh visit.