September 26, 1890, marked the beginning of almost half-a-century of Chaliapin's singing career. The first roles for the young singer were: Mephistopheles, Ruslan (Ruslan and Ludmila), Zuniga, Count Robinson (Il Matrimonio Segreto), Panas (Christmas Eve), Vereisky (Dubrovsky), The Bailiff (Werther), Svat [Matchmaker] and Miller (Rusalka), Prince Galitsky (Prince Igor), and Prince Vladimir (Rogneda). By the age of 26 (1899), Chaliapin unequivocally had became the foremost Russian opera singer.