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A fact from Tamara Milashkina appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 20 February 2024 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
This article was created or improved during the Going Back in Time GA edit-a-thon hosted by the Women in Green project in June 2024. The editor(s) involved may be new; please assume good faith regarding their contributions before making changes.Women in GreenWikipedia:WikiProject Women in GreenTemplate:WikiProject Women in GreenWomen in Green articles
Thank you for the review! I nominated her because of the Women in Green drive. I will be out all day tomorrow, singing and opera, - please don't feel ignored. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:55, 22 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Very general reply: I was busy elsewhere on Wikipedia, and more so in real life, travelling and being with friends. I ha da chance to look only now, and am very impressed by what you found on top what's already there. I have two problems: I have no access to Grove, and I don't know Russian. Details below. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:14, 29 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Not a problem. I will request the Grove source to see if there's anything usable, but it's not a big deal, so don't worry about it for now. I think you misunderstood my concern about ru. It's not that you have to know Russian, but if you use the in-browser translation (or however you use your translation tools, Firefox does it automatically in my browser for me), you can easily see the missing material. Viriditas (talk) 21:21, 29 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Of course, if you like, I could make a detailed listing of this material to help you. At the very least, translate Grosheva (1983) to your preferred language of choice and make your way through the material. Viriditas (talk) 21:23, 29 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Images: I love the images, but they appear unusually grainy on both my mobile and my desktop. There's a G'MIC-Qt plug-in that might fix this in GIMP, but it's been a while since I used it and I can't remember the name of the appropriate filter. Viriditas (talk) 21:23, 22 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
I just took a look at some of the images I used the filter on in the past. It doesn't remove the graininess but rather sharpens it, making it more focused. Viriditas (talk) 21:34, 22 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
An additional image on ru is available.[1] Caption: "Tamara Milashkina in the party of Fevronia (in the center) in the play The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya. Bolshoi Theatre, 1 December 1959". Viriditas (talk) 03:18, 23 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Critical commentary: There's a dearth of critical commentary in both the body and the lead. I thought this was somewhat odd and unusual given the notability and status of the subject. Viriditas (talk) 21:26, 22 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
There's some interesting critical commentary available elsewhere. For example: Vasta 2002 talks about how Milashkina's voice fits into a Russian tradition of interpreting Verdi: "As for the dramatic sopranos--for our survey, none of the stereotypical edgy, wobbling variety--their timbral pattern follows not that of the mezzos, as one might expect, but that of the low male voices: the voice anchored as if at a low fundamental, supporting a rich low range and a dark, vibrant undertone elsewhere. Listen to Galina Vishnevskaya's luscious voicings of the Aida arias, or her Bolshoi colleague Tamara Milashkina's creamy singing of two of Desdemona's set pieces. Even the Moldovan soprano Maria Bieshu's large, narrow instrument "sits" on the middle As in the Don Carlo aria with a solid foundation."[1]American Record Guide's Richard Sininger, in a 2016 review of the 1974 Tosca recording describes Milashkina as a "big voice with a mezzo quality—somewhat typically Russian—and a secure, if not totally beautiful, top. At first her voice seems a bit monochromatic, but she delivers a good ‘Vissi d’Arte’ and sounds as if she acts well."[2] A lot of the sources repeatedly describe her voice as "creamy". Osborne 2000 talks about the stultifying impact of the Soviet Union on the arts, and notes how Milashkina manages to stand out: "Because of the encapsulation of Soviet musical life, performance traditions froze. One of the fascinations of the era's recordings lies in the sense that one is listening to a Russian gloss on a style whose aesthetics had already faded elsewhere. With respect to the voices themselves, there is a rough correspondence to the historical progression seen across the past century in the West (a gradual erosion of technical command and interpretive individuality), but with a time lag and some interesting differences in how voices "set" within each category...For several decades, Russian singing methods seem to have worked out least well with high voices of the dramatic sort. The women tend to sound edgy and bumpy, the men steely and driven. Of the postwar spinto sopranos, Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya (Natalya in The Oprichnik, Fevronia in Kitezh) shows the most complete command, and Yevgenia Smolenskaya (Lisa in Queen of Spades, Militrissa in Tsar Saltan and the Yaroslavna of my ASCH Igor) settles into a surprisingly fine Ortrud. They are both stylistically authoritative artists, but the rounder, warmer timbres of later singers (Tamara Milashkina, then Guleghina and Gorchakova) probably will please more listeners."[3] I only bring this up because of what I write below about her personal life, which dovetails with her larger experience as an artist in the Soviet Union. Also, Marina Mescheriakova: "Mescheriakova reveres her famous Bolshoi predecessors on the basis of their reputations. "Vishnevskaya was already gone when I arrived, and so was [Tamara] Milashkina. But I knew some things about them. When I was a child studying piano, maybe five years old, I heard a recording of Milashkina. It made a big impression. Beautiful sounds, beautiful meanings. I liked it because she was a singer with a dark color. When I began to sing, I did not imitate her, but I thought her voice was very close to mine."[4]Viriditas (talk) 23:39, 22 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
I'll copy the comment to reply to the different topics:
Vasta 2002 talks about how Milashkina's voice fits into a Russian tradition of interpreting Verdi: "As for the dramatic sopranos--for our survey, none of the stereotypical edgy, wobbling variety--their timbral pattern follows not that of the mezzos, as one might expect, but that of the low male voices: the voice anchored as if at a low fundamental, supporting a rich low range and a dark, vibrant undertone elsewhere. Listen to Galina Vishnevskaya's luscious voicings of the Aida arias, or her Bolshoi colleague Tamara Milashkina's creamy singing of two of Desdemona's set pieces. Even the Moldovan soprano Maria Bieshu's large, narrow instrument "sits" on the middle As in the Don Carlo aria with a solid foundation."[5]
I'd have no idea what to get from that.
American Record Guide's Richard Sininger, in a 2016 review of the 1974 Tosca recording describes Milashkina as a "big voice with a mezzo quality—somewhat typically Russian—and a secure, if not totally beautiful, top. At first her voice seems a bit monochromatic, but she delivers a good ‘Vissi d’Arte’ and sounds as if she acts well."[6]
That's all not very specific, or what do you think?
The point here, is that multiple sources discuss the difference that Russian opera singers bring to the table, primarily because of the isolation of the Soviet Union and the techniques of the opera schools. This is what the author means by "typically Russian", which is discussed elsewhere here. For me, the question I had was, what makes Milashkina different from other singers in her class and why. I find it quite fascinating to explore the reasons. Viriditas (talk) 21:48, 29 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
A lot of the sources repeatedly describe her voice as "creamy".
see above.
Osborne 2000 talks about the stultifying impact of the Soviet Union on the arts, and notes how Milashkina manages to stand out: "Because of the encapsulation of Soviet musical life, performance traditions froze. One of the fascinations of the era's recordings lies in the sense that one is listening to a Russian gloss on a style whose aesthetics had already faded elsewhere. With respect to the voices themselves, there is a rough correspondence to the historical progression seen across the past century in the West (a gradual erosion of technical command and interpretive individuality), but with a time lag and some interesting differences in how voices "set" within each category...For several decades, Russian singing methods seem to have worked out least well with high voices of the dramatic sort. The women tend to sound edgy and bumpy, the men steely and driven. Of the postwar spinto sopranos, Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya (Natalya in The Oprichnik, Fevronia in Kitezh) shows the most complete command, and Yevgenia Smolenskaya (Lisa in Queen of Spades, Militrissa in Tsar Saltan and the Yaroslavna of my ASCH Igor) settles into a surprisingly fine Ortrud. They are both stylistically authoritative artists, but the rounder, warmer timbres of later singers (Tamara Milashkina, then Guleghina and Gorchakova) probably will please more listeners."[7]
I wouldn't know how much of the "typical Russian sound" the article should mention if she is described as of the "more pleasing kind.
Resource exchange just sent me the Grove Online article. It says "She has a voice of distinctive timbre and unusual warmth and beauty; reserve and emotional depth combine to lend her stage portrayals particular sensitivity." (I.M. Yampol′sky 1992) Viriditas (talk) 00:47, 30 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
I'll get that in, and read further, whenI'll have time, which may be tomorrow. You should be a conom, and we let some else review, ow is that? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:58, 30 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
To answer your previous question about what "creamy" means in this context, I believe it refers in part to this description. Viriditas (talk) 02:20, 30 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Also, Marina Mescheriakova: "Mescheriakova reveres her famous Bolshoi predecessors on the basis of their reputations. "Vishnevskaya was already gone when I arrived, and so was [Tamara] Milashkina. But I knew some things about them. When I was a child studying piano, maybe five years old, I heard a recording of Milashkina. It made a big impression. Beautiful sounds, beautiful meanings. I liked it because she was a singer with a dark color. When I began to sing, I did not imitate her, but I thought her voice was very close to mine."<ref>Bernheimer, M. (July 2002). "Marina Fortuna: the meaty Verdi soprano roles have been a string of good-luck charms for Marina Mescheriakova". Opera News.
Life and career: She first worked as a librarian. This is fine, but it is slightly different than Sie ergriff zunächst den Beruf einer Bibliothekarin, in the sense that she had initially planned for a career or a profession as a librarian, which is quite different than just "working". American comedian Chris Rock has a famous routine where he riffs on the difference between having a "job" (working) and a "career", which came to mind when I read this. I'm not asking you to make any changes but to think about it. Viriditas (talk) 22:08, 22 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Looking closer at this, ru.wikipedia.org suggests she studied library science (or whatever it was called then), in her home town. Do we know if this is the case or if she ever worked as a librarian? Viriditas (talk) 03:33, 23 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
I thought I have to use a slightly different wording than the source, or someone would say copyvio. I see that there could be a translation mistake involved, but don't see how I could know exactly what the original meaning was. That's moe or less what I meant saying that I don't know Russian. Sure, I can translate using a program, but feel insecure about judging if I can trust the result. For French or Spanish, I could, but not Russian.
As you are likely aware, there are sources that note how far Tamara had to travel from her home town to study music in Moscow (1400 km), which must have been difficult for her, as she had to leave everything behind. I suspect there's an incredible story there, and I think she talks about it in some interviews, but I couldn't access it. Viriditas (talk) 21:23, 23 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Yes, I'm aware, but should not invent a story. We recently had a DYK about a baritone who ran away from home, likely happy to leave it behind. Too tired for more, sorry, and tomorrow will be another day of travel. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:06, 29 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
In the third paragraph, you discuss her notable tours, but she was apparently touring the US in the mid-1960s, perhaps as early as 1965. There is mention of a US tour of The Queen of Spades around this time. This document[3] is surprising to me. I was unaware that the Americans and Russians had so many tours in each respective country in the mid-1960s. As far as I can tell, she appeared in a production in the US separate from the Bolshoi? Viriditas (talk) 01:36, 23 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Looking deeper into this, the only thing I can find is that she appeared at an "International Festival of the Arts" which I believe refers to "The World Festival of Art and Entertainment" at Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where she performed in The Queen of Spades.[4]Viriditas (talk) 01:45, 23 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
There is additional information available about her family upbringing that takes the form of an interview in a work named "Bulgaria", but I cannot access it. Viriditas (talk) 01:48, 23 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
Recordings: In 1979 she recorded Eugene Onegin, with Yuri Mazurok in the title role and again Atlantov and Ermler; a reviewer wrote that she was "clearly an intelligent artist and compensates for her occasional lack of vocal allure by her identification with a role which suits her voice type". I think it's important to represent the quote as accurately as possible. The source notes that "She was" is part of it. One way to fix this is to change it to a reviewer wrote that "[she] was clearly an intelligent artist..." And if Ralph Moore is indeed the reviewer, you should probably name him. Viriditas (talk) 21:49, 22 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
fr.wikipedia.org cites Grove which could be helpful here: I.M. Yampolysky, "Milashkina, Tamara (Andreyevna)", in Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 1992/2002.
References
^Vasta, S. F. (July 2002). "From Russia con amore: the sound of Verdi, Russian style". Opera News, 67 (1), 40+.
^Sininger, Richard (Jan/Feb 2016). "Puccini: Tosca". American Record Guide. 79 (1): 151.
^Osborne, C. L. (October 2000). "Russians in Amber. Opera News, 65(4), 54.
^Bernheimer, M. (July 2002). "Marina Fortuna: the meaty Verdi soprano roles have been a string of good-luck charms for Marina Mescheriakova". Opera News, 67(1), 12+.
A. It contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline:
B. Reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose):
Minor issues for nominator to review listed in order of importance:
1) The idea that Milashkina "first worked as a librarian" is unclear, and may be a translation error. It appears she attended and graduated from a library college program. I do not see any indication that she worked as a librarian. Let's try to get this right.
2) Other wikis have more information about the topic that does not appear here. For example, the entries at ru and fr. Fr uses the Grove Music source that should probably be looked at. Ru also has an image that isn't used here and goes into greater critical detail that could be used here (easily because it cites English language sources).
3) We don't see the listing of all the awards and honors here like we do on ru and fr.
4) The Ru article is quite comprehensive and has a wealth of material, from discography to critical commentary from her peers, a filmography, and much more. I would like to see some effort to broaden the coverage here. The bio by Grosheva (1983) is probably a good place to start, as it is comprehensive up to 1983 and is three pages long.[7]. At best, just take a look and see if you can find anything to add. My guess is that there's a lot to do, even it means adding just appendices. On hold. Viriditas (talk) 09:54, 25 June 2024 (UTC)Reply
![[1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RIAN_archive_855085_The_Bolshoi_Theater_of_the_USSR.jpg){kind=link}