ALEXANDER AKIMOFF Celebrated Russian Basso of the Petrograd Opera House SCOTTISH RITE AUDITORIUM Thursday Evening, December 5, 1929 8:30 p. M. FEODOR KOLIN PlANIST-COMPOSER At the Piano Tickets at Sherman, Clay & Co. $1,50, $1.00 Management — Alice Metcalf Alexander Akimoff Alexander Akimoff, Russian basso, belongs to that rare class of singers whom Emerson has described as being primarily the poet. He is a laureate of the Petrograd Imperial Conservatory, and while there was among the few chosen students to sing before the vast audience assembled to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this world famed conservatory. So pronounced was the success of the young student that he was invited to sing at the Petrograd Opera soon after and, following his graduation in 1914, with the diploma of "Privileged Artist," Akimoff became a permanent member of the company. The Russian Revolution forced him to sing outside his own country, which proved a continuation of the career so brilliantly begun. He sings in six languages, and during his short residence in this country he has acquired acceptable ease in English and has received the highest praise from critics concerning his pure English diction. The Critics Have Said: "Alexander Akimoff possesses a youthfully virile and musical bass voice."—New York Times. "Mr. Akimoff discloses a rich, powerful voice which he uses with dramatic effect."—New York Herald. "Beyond a doubt, Mr. Akimoff pleased his audience. He sang with eloquence Schubert's 'Death and the Maiden,' and with equal skill the 'Monk's Song' from 'Boris Godounoff.' He gave pleasure, too, by reason of his smooth, roundly resonant singing in Beethoven's 'In Questa Tomba.' It is easy to picture Mr. Akimoff as an arresting figure in the opera house. So far as voice alone was concerned, there is no singer of his quality in the Muscovite company that visited us last autumn."—Boston Transcript. "Deeply impresses his audience; it will be a pleasure to write more of him."—New York Evening Post. "Great dramatic ability." — New York American. "A voice of excellent depth and range."—New York  Evening Mail. "Voice and personality arouse sincere appreciation." — Detroit Free Press. "Mr. Akimoff, who made a very successful appearance with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, is the possessor of a bass voice of unusual beauty. His diction is excellent and his interpretation most vivid and dramatic."—Ossip Gabrilowitsch. "One of the aristocrats of the lyric stage."—Herman Devries, Chicago Evening American. "Mr. Akimoff shows a warm, mellow voice of great beauty at its best."—Chicago Daily Journal. "A vocal endowment of more than usual value, registered with artistic taste."—Maurice Rosenfeld, Chicago Daily News. Program Ombra mai fu ("Largo") ......................................................Handel Aria, "The Magic Flute"......................................................Mozart In Questa Tomba Oscura..............................................Beethoven The Bild (Un Portret) ........................................................Schubert Death and the Maiden....................................................Schubert Der Leiermann..................................................................Schubert Das alte Lied............................................................................Grieg Biblical Song........................................................................Dvorak Woods in Autumn..............................................Francisca Vallejo (Lyric by Inglis Fletcher) False Phillis................................................................Lane Wilson Prayer ............................................................................Ernst Bacon (Dedicated to Sigrid Onegin) Deep River............................................................................Burleigh intermission Romance of the Demon................................................Rubinstein The Old Corporal....................................................Dargomizhsky The Last Voyage..................................................................Alness The Song of the Flea ("Blocha")..................Moussorgsky Invocation "Roberto"....................................................Meyerbeer Don Juan's Serenade................................................Tschaikowsky Mefisto's Ballad......................................................................Boito