He was endowed with a voice of unique velvety timbre capable of the the softest pianissimos and the most powerful sounds, all seemingly effortlessly produced and supported by superior intelligence and musicality.

A giant of a man, he was almost 6ft 4in tall, and an impressive figure on stage. He was one of the best performers of the leading Musorgsky bass roles such as Boris Godunov and Dosifei from Khovanshchina.

On this CD Reizen displays his extraordinary vocal characterization qualities in major Russian roles. One of my favorites is the tremendous Song of the Viking Guest from Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko.

In the great aria of Khan Konchak from Prince Igor, the easy "stroll" of the voice to the low F in the central section is just miraculous.

The song of Prince Gremin from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin displays great sensitivity, simplicity of phrasing and total respect for the musical line.

Reizen enjoyed a uniquely long career, his live performance of Prince Gremin on the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Opera to celebrate his 90th birthday, still in impressive voice and physical shape has made the "Guinness Book of Records".