[K STOLETIYU AMERIKANSKIKH GASTROLEY / [TO THE CENTENARY OF AMERICAN TOURS] SHALYAPIN FEDOR (1873-1938), AUTOGRAPH Handwritten letter addressed to Solomon Gurkov. Paris, July 31, 1924.

2 pages. In Russian. Signature at the end of the text: F. Shalyapin. In good condition. Fold marks visible. A letter from the Russian opera singer Fedor Shalyapin, sent from Paris on July 31, 1924. The recipient was the famous American impresario Sol Hurok (Solomon Gurkov; 1888-1974). It was he who organized F. Shalyapin's concerts in the USA from 1921 to 1927. The letter discusses the fees for 35 performances by the singer: $3000 for one main concert and $2000 for one additional performance. The fee was enormous. F. Shalyapin was capricious, refusing to sing, which resulted in several performances being canceled. However, S. Hurok managed to persuade the artist and skillfully built an advertising campaign. Shalyapin's concert at the Metropolitan Opera was a huge success. Subsequently, only S. Hurok organized the American tours of the talented singer.