Georges Thill
Georges Thill (14 December 1897 – 17 October 1984) was a French opera singer, often considered to be his country's greatest lyric-dramatic tenor. Born in Paris, his career lasted from 1924 to 1953, peaking during the 1930s.
Career
A pupil of the Neapolitan tenor Fernando De Lucia (1860–1925), Thill made his opera debut at the Paris Opéra in 1924, and he continued to appear there and at the Opéra-Comique for several decades, undertaking a busy schedule of performances.
In addition, he sang throughout Europe and in South America, receiving the acclaim of audiences and critics at
His voice began to show signs of decline during the 1940s and he retired from the stage in 1953. He died in 1984 in Draguignan.
Chronologically, Thill's operatic repertoire ranged from
Thill also appeared in several film clips and French-language motion pictures, including Louise (1939), based on Gustave Charpentier's opera. It was directed by Abel Gance and featured Grace Moore as Thill's co-star. Privately, Thill, while a dedicated musician, enjoyed a convivial off-stage lifestyle, and he later blamed his propensity to burn the candle at both ends for shortening the span of his vocal prime.
Selected recordings on CD
Many of Thill's 78-rpm records are available on CD reissues by EMI and the Preiser label. Naxos Records has produced a two-CD set featuring his singing of six Massenet arias plus his recording of the complete title role of Massenet's Werther, which he made in January 1931. On it, he partners Ninon Vallin and Germaine Féraldy, with the Chorus and Orchestra of the Paris Opera: Élie Cohen, conductor. (Naxos Historical 8.110061-62.)
References
Bel Canto Society Store, Reviews and biographies for Louise.