Lucien Fugère
Lucien Fugère (22 July 1848,
Life and career
Fugère's father died when he was 6, and at the age of 12 he was apprenticed as a
Fugère was working as a jewellery salesman when he decided to try his luck at a career in music. After taking private voice lessons (he was refused by the Paris Conservatory), he made his debut as a
The turning point of his career came in 1877, when he made his debut at the
Two Chabrier songs are dedicated to Fugère: Sommation irrespectueuse and Pastorales des cochons roses, giving the premiere of the latter in 1890.[4]
In 1898, having sung at the re-opening of the Salle Favart, Fugère was presented to President Faure from whom he received the Cross of the Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur.[5]
Fugère sang le Duc de Longueville one last time at the Opéra-Comique in 1929, and his final performance on stage was as
His voice was described as "a basse chantante of easy baritone range, with ringing clarity in the lower register and skilful refinement in the upper".[6] He recorded for Zonophone in 1902, and then for Columbia in 1928–30 (re-issued by Symposium).[7]
An outstanding singing-actor and a fine musician, Lucien Fugère enjoyed one of the longest operatic careers of all time. When asked about his longevity, he said to an interviewer, "If a man doesn't sing well by the time he is 83, when will he, I'd like to know!" He has been compared to the Swiss tenor Hugues Cuénod, who made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 84.[8]
He became a singing teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, was a member of Comité de l'Association des Artistes dramatiques, and a member of the 'Commission départementales des Sites et Monuments naturels de caractère artistique de la Charente-Inférieure'.[9]
Lucien's brother Paul Fugère (1851 – c. 1920) was also an opera singer.
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As Sir John Falstaff in Verdi's Falstaff
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As Papageno in Mozart's Magic Flute
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As Sancho Pança in Massenet's Don Quichotte
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As Maître Vigord in Isidore de Lara's Sanga
Notes
- Steane JB. Singers of the century, Vol 2. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd, London, 1998. The chapter on Fugère draws extensively on: Duhamel R. Lucien Fugère. Paris, 1929.
- ^ Gänzl, Kurt. Fugère, Lucien. In: The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre. Blackwell, Oxford, 1994. [ISBN missing]
- ^ Rosenthal, Harold. Fugère, Lucien. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. [ISBN missing]
- ^ Delage R. Emmanuel Chabrier. Fayard, Paris, 1999.
- ^ Steane JB. Singers of the century, Vol 2. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd, London, 1998.
- ^ Rosenthal H. Lucien Fugère. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.
- ^ Steane JB. Singers of the century, Vol 2. Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd, London, 1998.
- ^ Will Crutchfield, Cuenod, at 84, makes peace with Puccini, New York Times, 8 March 1987. Retrieved on 10 January 2009.
- ^ Qui êtes-vous?: Annuaire des comtemporains; notices biographiques. C Delagrave, Paris, 1924.
References
- 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. H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, French edition), Guide de l’opéra, Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-59567-4
- The Complete Dictionary of Opera and Operetta, James Anderson ISBN 0-517-09156-9