Bolshoi Showers Banned Bass Ildar Abdrazakov with Garlands of Flowers

The Bolshoi Theatre buried bass Ildar Abdrazakov in garlands of flowers on Saturday, after he sang the title role — the part made famous by Chaliapin — in Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele, conducted by Valery Gergiev. The audience cheered him to the echo.

The performance doubled as a birthday celebration. Abdrazakov turned 50 on Saturday.

Among the first to congratulate him was the Austria-based soprano Anna Netrebko, who marked the occasion in an Instagram reel shared by Abdrazakova's family account.

Abdrazakov's standing in Moscow stands in sharp contrast to his position in the West. The international bass declared his support for Vladimir Putin early in the Ukraine war and was swiftly banned from almost all Western stages, according to Slippedisc.

Russia has since rewarded what the outlet describes as his Kremlin fidelity with two prized appointments. Abdrazakov heads the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theatre, and since March of this year he has served as artistic director of St Petersburg's Mikhailovsky Theatre.

The Moscow birthday tribute signals that Abdrazakov's career, effectively closed in Europe and North America, now runs almost entirely on Russian stages — with the running of two major institutions added to his singing calendar.