From the wilds of Siberia comes the torrential voice of Galina Gorchakova. She was trained at the Novosibirsk Conservatory and first sang opera in Sverdlovsk. By 1990 she had joined the soon to be legendary new generation of singers at Valery Gergiev's Kirov opera in what was then still Leningrad.

All would change quickly in the abrupt modernization of Russia and Gorchakova would ride the wave of international popularity with her young colleagues in worldwide tours, concerts, recitals and recordings. The city is now St. Petersburg and the theatre has taken back its original name of Mariinsky, but what has not changed is the powerful voice of Galina Gorchakova.

Her Western opera debut in 1991 was with her home theatre in performances of Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel a production which will be written up in the history books of tomorrow. It was first heard at the BBC Proms and then at Covent Garden in 1992. Gorchakova has followed that success with more Russian heroines such as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin and Lisa in Pique Dame. She has also added Italian repertoire and made her US opera company debut as Madama Butterfly, first in Houston and then at the Metropolitan in New York. Verdi has figured largely in her recent repertoire as well with La Forza del Destino, Don Carlos and more recently, Aida.

Gorchakova has recorded almost exclusively for Philips Classics and can be heard leading many of Valery Gergiev's opera recordings as well as in recital and arias discs.