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Georg Ots
Georg Ots
	Georg Ots in 1962
Born	Georg Ots; 21 March 1920; Saint Petersburg
Died	5 September 1975 (aged 55); Tallinn, Estonia
Occupation(s)	Singer, actor
Years active	1942–1975
Spouse(s)	Margot Laane (m. 1941 – d. 1941) ; Asta Saar (m. 1944 – d. 1964) ; Ilona Noor (m. 1964 until his death in 1975)
Awards	;

Georg Ots (21 March 1920 – 5 September 1975) was an Estonian baritone who besides opera was known as a performer of popular songs. He sang at the Estonian National Opera from 1951 to his death in 1975. He gained wider recognition with his roles at the Bolshoi Theatre, particularly with his lead role in Eugene Onegin. He was also celebrated for his interpretation in a musical film Mister Iks, based on Imre Kálmán's operetta Die Zirkusprinzessin.

Biography

Before studying singing with the Estonian baritone Aleksander Rahnel in Yaroslavl in the Eastern Front, where a cultural centre for evacuated Estonians had been established, Ots was a young Navy Officer who had escaped a sinking ship and got into Kurgan region of Russia. Six months later he auditioned for a place at the conservatory in Tallinn. At the same time, he became a member of the chorus at the Estonian National Opera in Tallinn. His solo opera debut was a small part in Eugene Onegin (1944). He soon became one of the most revered singers in Estonia and Finland, and was equally admired all over Russia.

Ots often performed at major opera houses of the former Soviet Union, being especially cherished at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. His repertoire included the roles of Eugene Onegin, Yeletzky, Escamillo, Renato,^[1] Don Giovanni, Papageno, Rigoletto, Iago, Porgy, Figaro, and the title role in Kabalevsky's Colas Breugnon. Ots sang in Estonian, Russian, Finnish, German, Italian and French. One of Ots's most famous roles, which he is often identified with, was the lead character in Anton Rubinstein's opera The Demon. The libretto of The Demon is based on Mikhail Lermontov's famous epic poem, once banned because of its plotline which involves a misalliance between a dark angel and a Georgian princess. Georg Ots's interpretation of the angel mesmerized audiences and received rapturous reviews, making Lermontov's controversial poem even more famous.

The popularity of Ots culminated in 1958 with the release of the Lenfilm Studios musical Soviet film Mister Iks, based on Imre Kálmán's operetta Die Zirkusprinzessin. Ots also played a leading role in Between Three Plagues, a film based on a historical novel by Jaan Kross which illuminates the life of Balthasar Russow, a distinguished Estonian writer and chronicler. Ots loved to perform songs by Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky, and several other Russian composers, and was also a devoted interpreter of Estonian folk songs. His voice could be heard on radio and TV all over the Soviet Union, and all his records sold out almost immediately.

He also performed successfully in various European countries. After his death in 1975 caused by a brain tumor,^[2] the Tallinn Music School was named after him (now Georg Otsa nimeline Tallinna Muusikakool). In 1997, Russian scientists named a newly discovered minor planet after him, 3738 Ots (1977 QA1). He was married three times (to Margot Ots (née Laane, since 1950 Heinsoo), Asta Ots (Saar), and Ilona Ots (Noor) respectively) and had two daughters, a son (daughter Ülle Malken (Ots) and son Ülo Ots with Asta Ots, and daughter Mariann Randmaa (Ots) with Ilona Ots), and two adopted sons (Hendrik Ots and Jüri Ots).

Cultural references

In November 2005, a musical Georg based on the life of Georg Ots was premiered in Tallinn, and on 5 October 2007, Georg, a film based on his life was released.