Arkhipova was at the height of her career in the 1960s and 1970s, during which time she was an international star, interpreting both Russian and Italian repertoire. Her technique was irreproachable, and she had great expressive power. She has been compared with Christa Ludwig. One of her most celebrated roles is as Marfa in Khovanshchina by Modest Mussorgsky, as recorded with Boris Khaykin in 1972. At the age of 72, Arkhipova finally made a belated Metropolitan Opera debut in March 1997 as Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin.
She died in Moscow on 11 February 2010, at age 85, and is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.[2]
Order of St. Andrew (2 January 2005) – for outstanding contributions to the development of domestic and world music, many years of creative and social activities
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class (30 December 30, 1999) – for outstanding achievements in the field of culture and great contributions to the development of a national songwriting [8]
Honour of St. Luke – culture of the Yaroslavl region.
Lenin Prize (1978) – for her performances as Azucena in Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore," and Lyubava in Rimsky-Korsakov's "Sadko," as well as concerts in recent years