Jean Giraudeau
Jean Giraudeau (1 July 1916 in Toulon – 7 February 1995), was a French tenor, and later theatre director, particularly associated with the Opéra-Comique in Paris, and described in Grove as having a “lyrical voice” as well as being “a superb character actor”.[1] He left a wide selection of recordings from both his operatic and concert repertoire.
Life and career
After obtaining a degree in law, Giraudeau studied music, winning prizes in song, opera and cello in 1941. His stage debut was at the Opéra de Montpellier in 1942 (Wilhelm Meister) in Mignon. He took part in the premiere of Martine by Henri Rabaud at the Opéra de Strasbourg before joining the main opera companies in Paris.[1]
He made his debut at the Opéra-Comique on 23 July 1947 as Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles, going on to create roles in Il était un petit navire by Germaine Tailleferre in 1951 (Valentin) and in Marion, ou la Belle au tricorne by Pierre Wissmer in 1951 (Fabrice).[2]
He also sang in Madame Bovary by Emmanuel Bondeville (Charles Bovary), Blaise le savetier by Philidor (Blaise), Ariane à Naxos (Bacchus), Lakmé (Gérald), Le Barbier de Séville (Almaviva), Così fan tutte (Ferrando), Les Indes galantes (Valère), Manon (Des Grieux), Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton) Les Mamelles de Tirésias (le Mari) and L'Heure espagnole (Gonzalve).[2]
At the Paris Opera he played Tamino in La Flûte enchantée, David in Die Meistersinger, Alfredo in La Traviata, created Nicador in Bolivar and sang the Chevalier de la Force in the French premiere of Dialogues des carmélites.[1]
Giraudeau sang Du Bartas in the premiere of the comédie lyrique Colombe by Jean-Michel Damase and Jean Anouilh in Bordeaux on 5 May 1961.[3]
He was director of the Opéra-Comique from 1968 to 1972,[1] and left a varied list of recordings.
Discography
- Beethoven: Songs - Decca
- Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ, op. 25 (solos) - Pathé
- Berlioz: Requiem (soloist) - Westminster XWN 2227
- Berlioz: Les Troyens (Enée) - BBC-SOMM-BEECHAM 26-8
- Bernier: Confitebor tibi Domine - Pathé DTX 158
- Bondeville: L'École des maris (soloist) - Decca
- Campra: Psaume LIII "Deus in nomine tuo" - Pathé DTX 270
- Charpentier: Lamentations pour les obsèques de la Reine Marie-Thérèse, H. 331 - Pathé DTX 270
- Charpentier: De Profundis (Tome XX des "Meslanges"), H. 189 - Pathé DTX 158
- Charpentier: Le Reniement de Saint Pierre, motet, H. 424, - Pathé DTX 259
- Charpentier: Miserere des Jésuites (Psaume L), H. 193 - Pathé DTX 228
- Escher: Univers de Rimbaud (solo) - Olympia OCD 506
- Gervais: Exaudiat Te (Psaume XIX) - Pathé DTX 228
- Gervais: Te Deum - Pathé DTX 259
- Hervé: Le Retour d'Ulysse (Ulysse) - Gaieté Lyrique 20221-2
- Hervé: Trombolino (Cantarini) - Gaieté Lyrique 20221-2
- Jolivet: Suite liturgique (solo) - Véga
- Lehár: Paganini (title role) - Accord 4728682
- Massenet: Thaïs (Nicias) - Urania
- Milhaud: Le pauvre matelot (sailor) - Disques Véga
- Milhaud: Christophe Colomb (Majordomo) - TCE 8750
- Mozart: Kyrie in F major, K. 33 (solo) - Pathé
- Offenbach: La belle Hélène (Ménélas) - Philips
- Offenbach: Geneviève de Brabant (Sifroy) - INA Memoire Vive 080
- Poulenc: Mamelles de Tirésias (Le mari) - Columbia
- Ravel: L'heure espagnole (Gonzalve for Cluytens, VSM in 1953; Torquemada for Maazel, DG in 1965)
- Rimsky-Korsakov: Snegurochka (Tsar Berendey) - Ponto
- Stravinsky: Renard (solo) - Adès
- Stravinsky: Le Rossignol (Fisherman) - Columbia
- Christmas at Notre-Dame (carols) - Concert Hall BM 2171[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Forbes E. Jean Giraudeau. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London & New York, 1997.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wolff, Stéphane. Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique 1900–1950. André Bonne, Paris, 1953.
- ↑ INA: Festival de Bordeaux : Colombe, comédie lyrique en quatre actes
- ↑ Incorporates material from the CHARM Discography, Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music, <http://www.charm.kcl.ac.uk/about/about_structure>, accessed 12 January 2011.
This article contains material adapted from the French Wikipedia page
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