Ivan Rebroff

Ivan Rebroff (born Hans Rolf Rippert; 31 July 1931 – 27 February 2008) was a German-born vocalist, allegedly of Russian ancestry, who rose to prominence for his distinct and extensive vocal range of four octaves, ranging "from a low F to a high F, one and a quarter octaves above C". An imposing figure on stage, usually bearded and dressed in Cossack clothing, his presence was enhanced by his height, being over 2 metres tall.

Life and career
Rebroff was born on 31 July 1931 in Berlin as Hans Rolf Rippert to German parents. His parents were Paul Rippert, an engineer born in 1897 in Liebenwerda, and Luise Fenske, born in Bydgoszcz (then part of Prussian Bromberg). He claimed Russian descent, and while often disputed, this has never been totally refuted. In a 1989 interview with Izvestia, he said "according to documents I am Ivan Pavlovich Rebroff" (Иван Павлович Ребров).

He studied singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. Although his knowledge and pronunciation of Russian was imperfect, he became famous for singing Russian folk songs, but also performed opera, light classics and folk songs from many other countries. He was known on stage for his gusto. He performed over 6,000 concerts in his career, including a two-year seven-day-a-week stint at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris, singing and acting, among other greats, the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. When he was well into his seventies, Rebroff still performed 13 concerts in 21 days on an Australian tour.

Rebroff described himself as international, the "connection between East and West". He was named an honorary citizen of the Greek Sporades island of Skopelos, his domicile. Rebroff was homosexual.

He died in Frankfurt after a long illness. Four days after his death, his brother Horst Rippert, who is nine years his senior (and by his own unsubstantiated accounts shot down Antoine de Saint-Exupéry during World War II), claimed part of Rebroff's vast fortune.

LP discography

 * 1967
 * Volksweisen aus dem alten Russland (Folk Songs from Old Russia)


 * 1968
 * Volksweisen aus dem alten Russland 2 (Folk Songs from Old Russia Volume II)
 * Original russische Liebeslieder
 * Na Sdarowje (Ivan sings about vodka and wine)
 * Slawische Seele (Compilation album shared with Tatjana Iwanow and Dunja Rajter)


 * 1969
 * Beim Klang der Balalaika, and in French Au son des Balalaikas
 * Favourites from Mother Russia
 * Abendglocken (compilation)
 * Russische Weihnacht mit Ivan Rebroff
 * Ivan Rebroff (includes "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago)
 * A Russian Christmas
 * Un Violon sur le toit (soundtrack of French production of Fiddler on the Roof)
 * Russische Party (live album)
 * Festliche Weihnacht (with Regensburger Domspatzen boys' choir)
 * A Festive Christmas (Festliche Weihnacht re-issue)


 * 1970
 * Somewhere My Love (English-language versions)
 * Kosaken müssen reiten (German-language versions)
 * Ivan Rebroff


 * 1971
 * The Best of Ivan Rebroff (compilation)
 * Ivan Rebroff Sing Vir Ons (South African album – Gold Disk Award)
 * Vir Jou Suid-Afrika (South African album)
 * Ivan Rebroff (Opera)
 * Kalinka (soundtrack from the 1971 film L'Homme qui vient de la nuit, German: Das Lied der Balalaika)
 * Mein Russland, du bist schön (German-language versions)
 * Starportrait (compilation)
 * Zwischen Donau und Don (with Dunja Rajter)


 * 1972
 * Erinnerungen an Russland (Russian-language versions)
 * The Best of Ivan Rebroff Volume II (compilation)


 * 1973
 * Lieder der Welt (Folk songs from around the world)
 * Mein altes Russland (lushly arranged Russian folk songs)
 * 25 Greatest Russian Melodies (compilation with Tatjana Iwanow (2 duets))
 * 20 Greatest Hits (compilation)


 * 1974
 * Russische Party 2 (live album)
 * Memories of Russia


 * 1975
 * Ivan Rebroff at Carnegie Hall (live)
 * Reich mir die Hand
 * Russische Lieder von Liebe und Tod


 * 1977
 * Midnight in Moscow (Russian-language versions)
 * Komm mit nach Hellas (German-language versions of Greek songs)


 * 1978
 * Mitternacht in Moskau (German version of Midnight in Moscow)


 * 1979
 * Ave Maria
 * Die Ivan Rebroff Versameling (compilation of South African tracks)


 * 1980
 * Zauber einer großen Stimme – 20 unvergängliche Welterfolge
 * Zauber einer großen Stimme – Seine größten Welterfolge
 * Die schönsten Lieder dieser Welt (Ivan Rebroff singt 20 unvergängliche Melodien)
 * Katharina und Potemkin (TV musical/operetta)

CD discography

 * 1976
 * Die Fledermaus conducted by Carlos Kleiber – Deutsche Grammophon – with Hermann Prey, Júlia Várady, Lucia Popp, René Kollo, Bernd Weikl, Benno Kusche – Bavarian State Opera Chorus and Bavarian State Orchestra


 * 2002
 * Meine Reise um die Welt
 * The Great Ivan Rebroff
 * Ach Natascha


 * 2003
 * Seine Größten Welterfolge
 * Best of Ivan Rebroff
 * Golden Stars

Compilation albums

 * Festliche Weihnachten
 * The Art of Ivan Rebroff
 * The Best of Russian Folk Songs Vol. 1
 * The Best of Russian Folk Songs Vol. 2
 * Erinnerungen an das letzte Jahrhundert [Memories of the previous century]
 * Der Zarewitsch
 * Weihnachten mit Ivan Rebroff
 * Die schönste Stimme Rußlands
 * Kosakenträume