hiː deɪbjˈuːd æt ðə kˈɑːɹkɪv ˈɑːpɚɹə ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti wˈʌn æz pˈaɪmɛn ɪn mʌsˈoːɹɡskiz bˈɔːɹɪs ɡˈɑːdʒuːnˌɑːv, ænd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti fˈaɪv mˈuːvd tə ðə mˌæɹɪˈɪnski θˈiəɾɚɹ ɪn lˈɛnɪŋɡɹˌæd.
He  debuted at the Kharkiv Opera in 1921 as Pimen in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, and in 1925 moved to the Mariinsky Theatre in Leningrad.