For ten years, from 1897 to 1907, Valentin Alexandrovich Serov and Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin collaborated in the production of the opera “Judith”, written by the composer Alexander Nikolayevich Serov, the artist’s father.

The stage version of the opera at Savva Mamontov’s theater was the result of lengthy preparatory work. Thanks to the innovative ideas and joint efforts of Feodor Chaliapin and Valentin Serov, the traditional image of Holofernes was significantly revised. Chaliapin’s interest in the art of the Ancient Middle East inspired him to present Holofernes as a “reanimated bas-relief”.

Chaliapin wrote,

This thought impressed Valentin Serov, who, during one of his conversations about the upcoming production, brilliantly improvised a scene of the Assyrian king drinking and walking. Chaliapin continued the improvisation by showing how, in his opinion, Holofernes could recline on a couch with a cup in his hand. This was how the image of a new character began to take shape. The image of the Middle Eastern despot, a powerful ruler, whose joy and sorrow were equally terrible for those around him, militant, agile as a tiger, stunned the imagination of his contemporaries with its vividness and power. This character became one of the unsurpassed and ingenious stage works of the great Russian bass.

The singer performed the part of Holofernes for the first time at the Private Russian Opera in Moscow on November 23, 1898. His portrayal was an enormous success due to the fusion of the painter’s artistic perception and the actor’s in-depth understanding of the role, which was the next step in perfecting the professional skills of the young Chaliapin. This fact is confirmed by the photos of the singer in this role preserved in the collection of the Museum of Music, and the maestro’s memoirs,