Roger Bourdin
Encyclopedia
Roger Bourdin was a French
baritone
, particularly associated with the French repertory. His career was largely based in France.
, where he was a pupil of André Gresse and Jacques Isnardon
. He made his professional debut at the Opéra-Comique
in 1922, as Lescaut in Manon
. His debut at the
Palais Garnier
took place in 1942, in Henri Rabaud
's Mârouf, savetier du Caire. The major part of his career was to be spent between these two theatres, where he created some 30 roles.
Bourdin seldom performed outside France, but did a few guest appearances at the Royal Opera House
in London, La Scala
in Milan, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He also sang in the first performance of surviving fragments of Chabrier's Vaucochard et fils Ier
on 22 April 1941 at the Salle du Conservatoire with Germaine Cernay
, conducted by Roger Désormière
.
His most memorable roles were: Clavaroche in André Messager
's Fortunio, Metternich in Arthur Honegger
and Jacques Ibert
's L'Aiglon, Duparquet in Reynaldo Hahn
's Ciboulette, Lheureux in Emmanuel Bondeville's Madame Bovary, the lead in Darius Milhaud
's Bolivar, but also standard roles such as Valentin, Athanael, Onegin, and Sharpless. In all he sang an estimated 100 roles throughout his long career.
Bourdin was also active in operetta
, and as a recitalist. After
retiring from the stage in 1959, he became a teacher at the Paris Conservatory.
He can be heard in two complete recordings, Faust
and Thais
, opposite his wife soprano Géori Boué
, as well as Werther
and L'heure espagnole
. He also appeared in the film of Messager's operetta Coups de roulis
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, particularly associated with the French repertory. His career was largely based in France.
Life and career
Bourdin studied at the Paris ConservatoryConservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
, where he was a pupil of André Gresse and Jacques Isnardon
Jacques Isnardon
Jacques Isnardon was a French bass-baritone, writer and voice teacher.After winning a competition at the Paris Conservatory, he made his debut as Baxter in Émile Paladilhe's Diane at the Opéra-Comique in 1885 , before moving to Brussels and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, whose history he...
. He made his professional debut at the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
in 1922, as Lescaut in Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
. His debut at the
Palais Garnier
Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, , is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier...
took place in 1942, in Henri Rabaud
Henri Rabaud
Henri Rabaud was a French conductor and composer, who held important posts in the French musical establishment and upheld mainly conservative trends in French music in the first half of the twentieth century....
's Mârouf, savetier du Caire. The major part of his career was to be spent between these two theatres, where he created some 30 roles.
Bourdin seldom performed outside France, but did a few guest appearances at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London, La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He also sang in the first performance of surviving fragments of Chabrier's Vaucochard et fils Ier
Vaucochard et fils Ier
Vaucochard et fils Ier is an unfinished opérette by Emmanuel Chabrier of which only some numbers survive. The French libretto was by Paul Verlaine.-Background:...
on 22 April 1941 at the Salle du Conservatoire with Germaine Cernay
Germaine Cernay
Germaine Cernay, born Germaine Pointu Le Havre 28 April 1900, died Paris, 1943 was a French alto who was active both in the opera house and on the concert platform.-Life and career:...
, conducted by Roger Désormière
Roger Désormière
Roger Désormière was a French conductor.Désormière was born in Vichy in 1898. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where his professors included Philippe Gaubert , Xavier Leroux and Charles Koechlin , and Vincent d'Indy...
.
His most memorable roles were: Clavaroche in André Messager
André Messager
André Charles Prosper Messager , was a French composer, organist, pianist, conductor and administrator. His stage compositions included ballets and 30 opéra comiques and operettas, among which Véronique, had lasting success, with Les p'tites Michu and Monsieur Beaucaire also enjoying international...
's Fortunio, Metternich in Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.-Biography:Born...
and Jacques Ibert
Jacques Ibert
Jacques François Antoine Ibert was a French composer. Having studied music from an early age, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won its top prize, the Prix de Rome at his first attempt, despite studies interrupted by his service in World War I.Ibert pursued a successful composing career,...
's L'Aiglon, Duparquet in Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn
Reynaldo Hahn was a Venezuelan, naturalised French, composer, conductor, music critic and diarist. Best known as a composer of songs, he wrote in the French classical tradition of the mélodie....
's Ciboulette, Lheureux in Emmanuel Bondeville's Madame Bovary, the lead in Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
's Bolivar, but also standard roles such as Valentin, Athanael, Onegin, and Sharpless. In all he sang an estimated 100 roles throughout his long career.
Bourdin was also active in operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
, and as a recitalist. After
retiring from the stage in 1959, he became a teacher at the Paris Conservatory.
He can be heard in two complete recordings, Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
and Thais
Thaïs (opera)
Thaïs is an opera in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet based on the novel Thaïs by Anatole France. It was first performed at the Opéra Garnier in Paris on 16 March 1894, starring the American soprano Sybil Sanderson, for whom Massenet had written the title role...
, opposite his wife soprano Géori Boué
Géori Boué
Georgette "Géori" Boué is a French soprano, particularly associated with the French repertory, especially Thais. She was born in Toulouse.- Life and career :...
, as well as Werther
Werther
Werther is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann based on the German epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe....
and L'heure espagnole
L'heure espagnole
L'heure espagnole is a one-act opera, described as a comédie musicale, with music by Maurice Ravel to a French libretto by Franc-Nohain, based on his play of the same name first performed at the Théâtre de l'Odéon on 28 October 1904...
. He also appeared in the film of Messager's operetta Coups de roulis
Coups de roulis
Coups de roulis is an opérette in three acts with music by André Messager and a French libretto by Albert Willemetz, based on the 1925 novel by Maurice Larrouy.-Performance history:...
.
Sources
- Alain Pâris, Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interpretation musicale au XX siècle (2 vols), Ed. Robert Laffont (Bouquins, Paris 1982, 4th Edn. 1995, 5th Edn 2004). ISBN 2-221-06660-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 2-213-01563-6