He studied at the Leningrad Conservatory and made his debut, as
Lensky, with the Kirov in 1930, remaining with the company until 1944. In that
year he moved to the Bol'shoy, where he had his most significant success.
Nelepp possessed a lyric-dramatic tenor capable of an amazing range and
intensity of expression, making him an ideal exponent of such roles as
Florestan, Gustavus III, Manrico, Radames, Don José, Sobinin (‘’A Life for the
Tsar’’), Dmitry (‘’Boris Godunov’’), Golitsin (‘’Khovanshchina’’), Yury (‘’The
Enchantress’’), Hermann, Andrey (‘’Mazepa’’) and Sadko, several of which he
recorded. He sang in approximately 20 complete opera sets, among which his
agonized portrayal of the obsessive Hermann in the Melodiya recording of The
Queen of Spades is an unrivalled achievement.
