Alexey Tsereteli

Who was Alexey Tsereteli?

Alexey Tsereteli was a Georgian prince and he was a Russian opera entrepreneur.

Father: Akaki Tsereteli was a Georgian prince, a prominent Georgian poet and national liberation movement figure.

Mother: Russian Natalia Petrovna Bazilevskaya.

Alexey was born in St. Petersburg and received the same education as all the Russian aristocracy and did not even know the Georgian language. He grew up a man of Russian culture.

From childhood he liked music and especially opera. He received the profession of engineer, but a passion for opera has won and he decided to open an opera troupe. In 1896/1897, Alexey Tsereteli opened an opera enterprise in Kharkov. Theater critic once noted the successful staging of the new company. Very soon, he continued to work in St. Petersburg and creates a New Opera and, despite competition from the Mariinsky Theatre, his productions are popular. Worked there not only well-known Russian singers, but the famous European singers came. In 1905, Titta Ruffo came to participate in several performances. In 1907/08 A. Tsereteli organized tours of Feodor Chaliapin in America.