Gabriel Bacquier
Gabriel Bacquier | |
---|---|
Born | Gabriel Augustin-Raymond-Théodore-Louis Bacquier 17 May 1924 Béziers, France |
Died | 13 May 2020 | (aged 95)
Occupation | Operatic baritone |
Awards |
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Gabriel Bacquier (French pronunciation: [gabʁjel bakje]; 17 May 1924 – 13 May 2020) was a French operatic baritone. One of the leading baritones of the 20th century and particularly associated with the French and Italian repertoires, he was considered a fine singing actor equally at home in dramatic or comic roles and gave regular song recitals. He was a long-term member of the Opéra-Comique and the Paris Opera, but forged a long career internationally at leading opera houses in Europe and the U.S. His large discography spans five decades, and he was considered as “the ambassador of French song”.[1]
Early life and studies
Born Gabriel Augustin-Raymond-Théodore-Louis Bacquier in
As a teenager he took voice lessons with a Madame Bastard in Béziers in his free time and made his operatic debut during the war as Ourrias in Gounod's
Career in France and Belgium
He joined the opera company of José Beckmans in 1950, and was a member of
Bacquier made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1956, as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, soon followed by Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana and Albert in Werther.[6] Having stood in at short notice to sing Verdi's Rigoletto at the Paris Opera,[11] after his transfer to that house he made his official debut at the Palais Garnier on 21 September 1959 as Germont in Verdi's La traviata, and was soon seen as Valentin, Mercutio and again as Rigoletto.[6] In 1960 he sang as Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca opposite Renata Tebaldi,[12] and went with the company to Venice, appearing as Ramiro in L'heure espagnole.[6] In 1960, he made his first appearance at the Aix-en-Provence Festival as Mozart's Don Giovanni,[2] and the first time an opera from the festival had been broadcast around Europe by the Eurovision network. Seen in Vienna and London, these performances led to engagements outside France and the start of his international career.[10]
International fame
He was invited to the
Bacquier made his American debut at a Carnegie Hall concert,
Though closely associated with the French repertory, especially Golaud,
Premieres and song
Bacquier also created the title roles of Jean-Pierre Rivière's Pour un Don Quichotte at La
He was also active in the field of mélodies, and made recordings of songs by Maurice Ravel, Déodat de Séverac, Marc Berthomieu, Francis Poulenc and others. Two live recitals of mélodies from 1961 and 1972 were issued on CD in 1987. In 2007, Bacquier recorded thirteen songs by the actor and songwriter Pierre Louki, with musicians directed by Jacques Bolognesi.[31] He recorded six Poulenc songs, accompanied by Jacques Février, for French television in June 1964, subsequently issued on DVD.[32]
Later career
Bacquier was also active as a teacher, first at the vocal school of the Paris Opera and later at the Paris Conservatory until 1987,[4] and from 2001 at the Académie de Musique de Monaco,[2] where he directed student productions. In 2007, Bacquier recorded thirteen songs by actor and songwriter Pierre Louki, directed by Jacques Bolognesi. He is featured as one of the interviewees in the book by Sylvie Milhau Doucement les Basses ossia Dîner avec Gabriel Bacquier, José van Dam et Claudio Desderi.[33] He was one of the lead signatories to a petition in 2008 Appel à la Refondation des Troupes de Théâtre Lyrique to defend and promote French singing.[24][34]
Bacquier died on 13 May 2020 in his home at Lestre in the Manche department, only four days shy of turning 96.[3][12]
Christophe Ghristi, artistic director of the Théâtre du Capitole, said of him: "A southern personality who had an animal presence on stage. He was one of the rare French singers of that time to have had such an international career".[2]
Awards and distinctions
Bacquier received numerous awards and distinctions in his native France, such as Chevalier de la
Several recordings in which he sang won the Prix du Disque (
Selected recordings
The following is a selection of Bacquier's many opera recordings:
- Bizet: La jolie fille de Perth. June Anderson, Alfredo Kraus, Gino Quilico, Gabriel Bacquier (Glover), Margarita Zimmermann, Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique. Conductor: Georges Prêtre. EMI 7475598.[36]
- Bizet: Les pêcheurs de perles. Janine Micheau, Alain Vanzo, Gabriel Bacquier (Zurga), Chœur de la RTF, Orchestre Radio-Lyrique, Conductor: Manuel Rosenthal. Paris, 25 June 1959. GALA GL 100.504.[36]
- Chabrier: L'Étoile. Georges Gautier, Gabriel Bacquier (Siroco), François Le Roux, Colette Alliot-Lugaz, Opéra de Lyon. Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner. EMI, 1984.[37]
- Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande. Gabriel Bacquier (Golaud), Michèle Command, Claude Dormoy, Orchestre de Lyon. Conductor: Serge Baudo. Eurodisc.[38]
- Donizetti: Don Pasquale. Gabriel Bacquier (Don Pasquale), Barbara Hendricks, Gino Quilico, Luca Canonici, Opéra de Lyon. Conductor: Gabriele Ferro . Erato, 1990.[36]
- Massenet: RCA Red Seal, 1975
- Massenet: Manon. Beverly Sills, Gabriel Bacquier (Comte des Grieux), Gérard Souzay, Michel Trempont, New Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Julius Rudel. Deutsche Grammophon 247002
- Massenet: Ambrosian Chorus, New Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Julius Rudel. RCA Red Seal, 1974 [39]
- Massenet: Don Quichotte. Nicolai Ghiaurov, Gabriel Bacquier (Sancho), Régine Crespin, Radio Suisse Romande. Conductor: Kazimierz Kord. Decca, 1978.[36]
- Mozart: Don Giovanni. Gabriel Bacquier (Giovanni), Joan Sutherland, Pilar Lorengar, Werner Krenn, Donald Gramm, Marilyn Horne, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, English Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Richard Bonynge. Decca 448 973–2.[39]
- Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro. Geraint Evans, Reri Grist, Gabriel Bacquier (Conte Almaviva), Elisabeth Söderström, Teresa Berganza, New Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Otto Klemperer. EMI, 1970.[40]
- Mozart: Così fan tutte. Pilar Lorengar, Teresa Berganza, Jane Berbié, Ryland Davies, Tom Krause, Gabriel Bacquier (Alfonso), London Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Georg Solti. Decca, 1973.[39]
- Offenbach: L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Conductor: Richard Bonynge. Decca, 1971.[41]
- Offenbach: La Périchole. Teresa Berganza, José Carreras, Gabriel Bacquier (Don Andrès), Orchestre & Choeurs du Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse. Conductor: Michel Plasson. EMI, 1981.[39]
- Puccini: Tosca (in French). Jane Rhodes, Albert Lance, Gabriel Bacquier (Scarpia), L'Opéra de Paris. Conductor: Manuel Rosenthal. Vega, 1960.[42]
- Ravel: L'Heure espagnole. Jane Berbié, Gabriel Bacquier (Ramiro), Michel Sénéchal, José van Dam, Jean Giraudeau, Orchestre National de Paris, Lorin Maazel. Deutsche Grammophon, 1964.[36]
- Rossini: Guillaume Tell. (Gabriel Bacquier (title role), Montserrat Caballé, Nicolai Gedda, Mady Mesplé, Jocelyne Taillon, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Lamberto Gardelli. EMI.[43]
- Verdi: Otello. Carlo Cossutta, Margaret Price, Gabriel Bacquier (Iago), Wiener Staatsoper & Philharmoniker. Conductor: Georg Solti. Decca, 1977.[44]
- Verdi: La forza del destino. Leontyne Price, Sherrill Milnes, Plácido Domingo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Gabriel Bacquier (Fra Melitone), John Alldis Choir, London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: James Levine. RCA Red Seal, 1976.[39]
Film and television
Bacquier appeared in the 1976 film La Grande Récré (as 'Caruso'), and in a cameo singing role in the wedding scene of the 1986 film Manon des Sources. He also starred in the 1979 film of Falstaff directed by Götz Friedrich (sound recorded Vienna 1978, filmed Berlin 1979), and the studio film of The Love for Three Oranges in 1989.[45]
Oussenko also lists many television broadcasts involving Bacquier, from Aix, Paris, New York, Rouen and Geneva, of Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Pelléas et Mélisande, Andréa del Sarto, Tosca, L'elisir d'amore, Don Pasquale, Louise, Cyrano de Bergerac, Gianni Schicchi, La forza del destino, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Quichotte, La Périchole, La vie parisienne, La belle Hélène, L'as-tu revue, and Les Mousquetaires au couvent, dating from 1960 to 1992.[46]
References
- ^ Alain Pâris. Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interpretation musicale au XX siècle. Éditions Robert Laffont, Paris, 1995, p. 197.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Tobisch, Léopold (13 May 2020). "Mort de Gabriel Bacquier, l'un des plus grands barytons français". France Musique (in French). Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Merlin, Christian (13 May 2020). "Décès de Gabriel Bacquier, baryton français de légende et bête de scène". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-59-844088-5.
- ^ Oussenko, Sylvie (2011). Gabriel Bacquier, le genie de l'interpretation (in French). Paris: MJW Fédition. p. 16.
- ^ a b c d e f g Segalini S. People 130: Gabriel Bacquier. Opera, June 1982.
- ^ a b Oussenko 2011, p. 20
- ISBN 2742713476)
- ^ The digital opera archives of La Monnaie. Accessed 11 September 2008.
- ^ a b c d Bury, Laurent. Gabriel Bacquier: "J'ai trouvé ma voix seulement lorsque j'ai eu a lutter avec les grands". ForumOpera, 23 October 2017, accessed 14 May 2020.[full citation needed]
- ^ Oussenko 2011, p. 37.
- ^ a b Yannick Boussaert: Décès de Gabriel Bacquier (in French) forumopera.com 13 May 2020. Accessed 13 May 2020.
- ^ Royal Opera House Performance Database "Gabriel Bacquier", retrieved 4 January 2017.
- ^ Performances with Gabriel Bacquier Metropolitan Opera archives
- ^ In the Segalini interview feature in Opera, Bacquier remarked that he "had been murdered by all the most famous Toscas of his time – Crespin, Nilsson, Price, Stella, Tebaldi and Rysanek – with the exception of Callas.
- ^ Raymond Ericson: "Opera: Pelléas at the Met", The New York Times. 1 March 1978. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Allen, Thomas. Foreign Parts – A Singer's Journal. Methuen, London, 1995, p. 17.
- ^ Loppert M. Golaud – Gabriel Bacquier. Opera 'In character', vol. 2, London, 2006.
- ISBN 0-19-311318-X.
- ^ Rosenthal, Harold. "American Diary—Part 2 by the Editor (October 25)". Opera, February 1983, vol. 34, no. 2, p. 149.
- ^ Pitt, Charles. Report from Aix-les-Bains. Opera 1975, vol. 26, p. 74.
- ^ Oussenko 2011, p. 109.
- ^ Tony Mayer. France – De Musset's play, Lesur's opera (Marseilles). Opera, March 1969, vol. 20, no. 3, p. 248.
- ^ a b Biography of Gabriel Bacquier Archived 20 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in French) at the Théâtre d'Opérette de Lyon
- ^ Belgium: International Conference on Lyric Theatre; cast listing. Opera, vol. 31, no. 5, May 1980, p. 461.
- ^ Score and premiere details at Editions Lemoine : L'Escarpolette, Damase, accessed 15 May 2020.
- ^ At Gallica: L'as-tu revue, musique de Jean-Michel Damase : photographies / Daniel Cande accessed 15 May 2020.
- ^ Oussenko 2011, Annexe, p. 109.
- ^ Les Archives de Spectacle, entry for Pelléas et Mélisande, Marseille, 1995, accessed 14 May 2020
- ^ BnF Catalogue general entry for Les Inestimables Chroniques du bon géant Gargantua, accessed 14 May 2020.
- ^ Worldcat entry for Gabriel Bacquier chante Pierre Louki (CD), accessed 14 May 2020.
- ^ 'Francis Poulenc & Friends'. EMI Classics 'classic archive', 2005. DVB 31020009.
- ISBN 978-2-9536769-0-7.
- ^ ClassiqueNews, L'appel de Michel Sénéchal et de Gabriel Bacquier Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 28 May 2008. Accessed 6 November 2008.
- ^ a b Oussenko 2011, "Distinctions et récompenses", p. 116
- ^ a b c d e Wiggins, Mark; Maycock, Margaret (eds). Gramophone Classical Catalogue, June 1992, 39th year, No. 153, ISSN 0961-5237, p. 615 (Artist Index – Bacquier, Gabriel).
- OCLC 51036010
- ^ Allen Ulrich: Debussy: “Pelleas et Melisande.” Los Angeles Times 16 April 1989
- ^ a b c d e MacDonald, Calum. Gramophone Classical Catalogue, September 1978, 26th year, No.102, ISSN 0309-4367, p. 210 (Artist Index – Bacquier, Gabriel).
- ^ Schallplatten / Feierliche Amouren Der Spiegel 23 August 1971
- ^ Matthew Rye, Steven Isserlis: The Tales of Hoffmann in 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die, p. 415
- OCLC 658388382
- ^ John Sheppard: Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) / Guillaume Tell musicweb-international.com January 2011
- ^ Verdi: Otello / Solti, Price, Moll, Bacquier, Berbie, Cossutta arkivmusic.com
- ^ Worldcat entry for Gabriel Bacquier – video formats accessed 15 May 2020.
- ^ Oussenko 2011, Filmographie, pp. 111–112.
Further reading
- ISBN 2-221-06660-X
- D. Hamilton (ed.), The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to the World of Opera (Simon and Schuster, New York 1987). ISBN 0-671-61732-X
- Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux (orig. ISBN 2-213-59567-4
- Opera News, William V. Madison, July 2007.
- ISBN 0-935859-92-6.
- Sadie, Stanley and ISBN 0-333-60800-3.
- ISBN 0-19-280028-0.
External links
- Gabriel Bacquier at AllMusic
- Gabriel Bacquier at IMDb
- Gabriel Bacquier discography at Discogs
- Gabriel Bacquier Discography (Brian Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings)
- Laura Williams Macy (ed.): Bacquier, Gabriel in The Grove Book of Opera Singers
- Tony Haywood: Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) / Falstaff musicweb-international.com December 2005