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Gabriel Bacquier

April 16, 2023

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]

Gabriel Bacquier
As Scarpia in Tosca, Chicago
Born
Gabriel Augustin-Raymond-Théodore-Louis Bacquier

(1924-05-17)17 May 1924
Béziers, France
Died13 May 2020(2020-05-13) (aged 95)
Lestre, Manche, France
OccupationOperatic baritone
Awards

Early life and studies

Born Gabriel Augustin-Raymond-Théodore-Louis Bacquier in Béziers, France, on 17 May 1924,[2][3][4] he was the only child of railway employees.[5] As a young boy, he was fascinated by everything to do with singing: records, broadcasts and photos of singers.[6] Leaving school aged 14, he worked at his uncle's print-shop, while studying in Montpellier to become a commercial artist, but during the Vichy regime, to avoid the round-ups and deportations by the Service du travail obligatoire, his parents arranged for him to do national service in the Chantiers de Jeunesse on the railways during the Occupation.[2]

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 Mireille[2] in the town arena. After World War II, he entered the Paris Conservatoire, receiving a scholarship because of his family's modest means,[7] and graduated in 1950.[4] He was a contemporary of, and shared his student life with, future leading French singers Régine Crespin, Xavier Depraz, Michel Sénéchal and Michel Roux.[8] In his final year, the director of the Conservatoire, Claude Delvincourt, allowed him leave to work at the Opéra de Nice in the 1949–50 season, singing small roles in operas and operettas; this along with regular singing spots in cinemas gave him important experience and income before his next career steps.[7] Having already gained a first prize for opéra comique in his penultimate year, he won first prize for singing and second prize for opera at the conclusion of his formal studies. Around this time he also took a course in dramatic art.[6]

Career in France and Belgium

He joined the opera company of José Beckmans in 1950, and was a member of La Monnaie in Brussels from 1953 until 1956,[3] making his debut in the title role of Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia.[4] There he sang the French repertory, both in opera (Gounod's Faust, Delibes' Lakmé, Massenet's Manon and Werther) and in operetta (Angélique, La belle Hélène, Les cloches de Corneville, Miss Heylett, Monsieur Beaucaire). He also appeared there in Puccini's La bohème and Madama Butterfly, and in Smetana's The Bartered Bride.[9] While at the Monnaie, the French soprano Martha Angelici, whose husband was François Agostini, director of the Opéra-Comique at the time, sang in Les pêcheurs de perles with him; she suggested that he audition for the Paris company, which accepted him.[10]

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 Eurovision. 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 Glyndebourne Festival in 1962, to sing Count Almaviva in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.[4] From 1963, Bacquier sang regularly at the Vienna State Opera and La Scala in Milan. From 1964 he appeared at the Royal Opera House in London, where his roles included Sir Richard Forth in Bellini's I puritani alongside Joan Sutherland in 1964, Almaviva in 1965, Scarpia in 1966, Malatesta in Donizetti's Don Pasquale in 1973, Doctor Bartolo in Il barbiere in 1975, and Golaud in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande in 1982. He also appeared in the televised Royal Silver Jubilee Gala in 1977.[13]

Bacquier made his American debut at a Carnegie Hall concert,[6] after which his stage debut was with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1962,[4] as the High Priest in Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns, which was also his debut role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on 17 October 1964.[4] He performed there for 18 seasons,[2] as one of only a few French singers,[14] including the premiere of a new production of Tosca with Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli.[10][15] He also sang frequently at the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company between 1963 and 1968, making his debut on 22 February 1963 as Zurga in Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles with Ferruccio Tagliavini as Nadir and Adriana Maliponte as Leïla. His other roles in Philadelphia included Nilakantha in Lakmé opposite Joan Sutherland in the title role, Germont with Sutherland as Violetta and John Alexander as Alfredo, Iago in Verdi's Otello, Scarpia, and Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen. He made his debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1971 as Michele in Puccini's Il tabarro. In 1978, he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as Golaud alongside Teresa Stratas as Mélisande. A reviewer of The New York Times noted "the precise, fluent inflection of his singing, which has to be delicate and yet weighted with feeling".[16] Thomas Allen classified Bacquier as a 'singer-actor': "...a voice and a knowledge of his body language such that one can be forgiven for asking the question 'Is this an actor singing or a singer acting?'".[17]

Though closely associated with the French repertory, especially Golaud,[18] Bacquier resisted being typecast as a 'French baritone' and added many Italian roles to his repertory, in addition to those already mentioned, such as the Verdi roles Renato in Un ballo in maschera, Melitone in La forza del destino, Posa in Don Carlos and Falstaff, as well as comic roles[19] such as Mozart's Leporello in Don Giovanni and Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, among others.[4] At the New York Met in 1982, a critic noted that the "best performance [in Il Barbiere di Siviglia] came from Gabriel Bacquier as a classic Bartolo. Every phrase, every gesture, every note, was beautifully timed and projected. It seemed improbable that last season's Covent Garden Golaud could be so marvellous a Bartolo".[20] In 1975 a critic reviewing Donizettis's L'elisir d'amore commented that "broad humour is quite foreign to Bacquier's nature ... his doctor [Dulcamara] is a serious Archie Rice type, no caricature but a real man weighed down by his own charlatanism and basically sad that mankind is so gullible".[21] Rare tentatives in non-French and Italian repertoire came with Wolfram in Tannhäuser by Wagner, praised by André Pernet,[10] and the title role in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky in 1971[22] (both sung in French translation). By the 1980s, Bacquier had arranged his repertory to suit the evolution of his voice, from a high tessitura to low, and concentrated on roles he felt were more substantial.[6] Many of his portrayals are preserved in an extensive discography.[4] For The Record of Singing, Volume 5 : 1953–2007 (from the LP to the digital era), his recording of "Une puce gentille" from Berlioz's La damnation de Faust was included on disc 7.

Premieres and song

Bacquier also created the title roles of Jean-Pierre Rivière's Pour un Don Quichotte at La Piccola Scala (Milan) on 10 March 1961,[4] and Daniel-Lesur's Andréa del Sarto at the Opéra de Marseille in 1969, where one critic wrote "...rarely has a singer shown such complete mastery, both as a vocalist and as an actor. As the action unfolds itself, so does Bacquier's involvement grow and the death scene was memorable."[23] Other world premieres included Maurice Thiriet's La véridique histoire du Docteur and Menotti's Le Dernier Sauvage at the Opéra-Comique.[4][24] In May 1980 he created the title role in the premiere of an opera Cyrano de Bergerac by Paul Danblon, as part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the state of Belgium, in Liège at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie.[25] He sang in the premieres of two operas by Jean-Michel Damase, L'Escarpolette on television in 1982,[26] and the comédie musicale L'as-tu revue? at the Opéra-Comique in 1991,[27] and in Les Bals de Paris by Émile Desfossez, and Le Capitaine et la mort by Maurice Fouret.[28] He made his last stage appearance in Paris in June 1994, with a final performance of Don Pasquale at the Opéra-Comique.[2] He appeared as Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande in Marseille in 1995,[29] and took part in later public performances, such as Somarone in concert performances of Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict in Toulouse and Paris in February 2003, and as the reciter in Françaix's Les Inestimables Chroniques du bon géant Gargantua in Vichy in December later that year.[30]

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 Légion d'Honneur, Officier de L'Ordre national du Mérite, Officier de L'Ordre national du Mérite Européen, Commandeur de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) and Commandeur de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Principauté de Monaco).[35]

Several recordings in which he sang won the Prix du Disque (L'heure espagnole, DGG, 1967; Les contes d'Hoffmann, Decca, 1972) and Enescu's Œdipe (EMI, 1984) won a Grand Prix du Disque et Prix de Ministère de la Culture. In 2004 he was awarded an Orphée d'Or Herbert von Karajan for his career, and in the same year a Lauréat des Victoires de la Musique. He also received a Médaille de la Ville de Paris.[35]

Selected recordings

The following is a selection of Bacquier's many opera recordings:

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

  1. ^ Alain Pâris. Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interpretation musicale au XX siècle. Éditions Robert Laffont, Paris, 1995, p. 197.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kutsch, K. J.; Riemens, Leo (2012). Bacquier, Gabriel. Großes Sängerlexikon (in German) (4th ed.). Walter de Gruyter. p. 194. ISBN 978-3-59-844088-5.
  5. ^ Oussenko, Sylvie. Gabriel Bacquier, le genie de l'interpretation. MJW Fédition, Paris, 2011, p. 16.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Segalini S. People 130: Gabriel Bacquier. Opera, June 1982.
  7. ^ a b Oussenko, Sylvie. Gabriel Bacquier, le genie de l'interpretation. MJW Fédition, Paris, 2011, p. 20.
  8. ^ Crespin, Régine. À la scène, à la ville, Arles, Actes Sud, 1997, p. 47. (ISBN 2742713476)
  9. ^ The digital opera archives of La Monnaie. Accessed 11 September 2008.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Oussenko, p. 37
  12. ^ a b Yannick Boussaert: Décès de Gabriel Bacquier (in French) forumopera.com 13 May 2020. Accessed 13 May 2020.
  13. ^ Royal Opera House Performance Database "Gabriel Bacquier", retrieved 4 January 2017.
  14. ^ Performances with Gabriel Bacquier Metropolitan Opera archives
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Raymond Ericson: Opera: 'Pelleas at the Met The New York Times. 1 March 1978. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  17. ^ Allen, Thomas. Foreign Parts - A Singer's Journal. Methuen, London, 1995, p. 17.
  18. ^ Loppert M. Golaud – Gabriel Bacquier. Opera 'In character', vol. 2, London, 2006.
  19. ^ Rosenthal, Harold and John Warrack. (1979, 2nd ed.). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. London, New York and Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 27. ISBN 0-19-311318-X.
  20. ^ Rosenthal, Harold. American Diary—Part 2 by the Editor (October 25). Opera, February 1983, vol. 34, no. 2, p. 149.
  21. ^ Pitt, Charles. Report from Aix-les-Bains. Opera 1975, vol. 26, p. 74.
  22. ^ Oussenko, Sylvie. Gabriel Bacquier, le genie de l'interpretation. MJW Fédition, Paris, 2011, p. 109.
  23. ^ Tony Mayer. France – De Musset's play, Lesur's opera (Marseilles). Opera, March 1969, vol. 20, no. 3, p. 248.
  24. ^ a b Biography of Gabriel Bacquier 20 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in French) at the Théâtre d'Opérette de Lyon
  25. ^ Belgium: International Conference on Lyric Theatre; cast listing. Opera, vol. 31, no. 5, May 1980, p. 461.
  26. ^ Score and premiere details at Editions Lemoine : L'Escarpolette, Damase, accessed 15 May 2020.
  27. ^ At Gallica: L'as-tu revue, musique de Jean-Michel Damase : photographies / Daniel Cande accessed 15 May 2020.
  28. ^ Oussenko, Sylvie. Annexe in Gabriel Bacquier - le génie de l'interprétation. MJW Fédition, Paris, 2011, (p. 109).
  29. ^ Les Archives de Spectacle, entry for Pelléas et Mélisande, Marseille, 1995, accessed 14 May 2020
  30. ^ BnF Catalogue general entry for Les Inestimables Chroniques du bon géant Gargantua, accessed 14 May 2020.
  31. ^ Worldcat entry for Gabriel Bacquier chante Pierre Louki (CD), accessed 14 May 2020.
  32. ^ 'Francis Poulenc & Friends'. EMI Classics 'classic archive', 2005. DVB 31020009.
  33. ^ Milhau, Sylvie. Doucement les Basses ossia Dîner avec Gabriel Bacquier, José van Dam et Claudio Desderi. Editions Canaïma, ISBN 978-2-9536769-0-7.
  34. ^ ClassiqueNews, L'appel de Michel Sénéchal et de Gabriel Bacquier 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 28 May 2008. Accessed 6 November 2008.
  35. ^ a b Oussenko, S. Gabriel Bacquier, le genie de l'interpretation. MJW Fédition, Paris, 2011. (Section Distinctions et récompenses, p. 116).
  36. ^ 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).
  37. ^ OCLC 51036010
  38. ^ Allen Ulrich: Debussy: “Pelleas et Melisande.” Los Angeles Times 16 April 1989
  39. ^ 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).
  40. ^ Schallplatten / Feierliche Amouren Der Spiegel 23 August 1971
  41. ^ Matthew Rye, Steven Isserlis: The Tales of Hoffmann in 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die, p. 415
  42. ^ OCLC 658388382
  43. ^ John Sheppard: Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) / Guillaume Tell musicweb-international.com January 2011
  44. ^ Verdi: Otello / Solti, Price, Moll, Bacquier, Berbie, Cossutta arkivmusic.com
  45. ^ Worldcat entry for Gabriel Bacquier – video formats accessed 15 May 2020.
  46. ^ Oussenko, Sylvie. Filmographie in Gabriel Bacquier – le génie de l'interprétation. MJW Fédition, Paris, 2011, (pp. 111–112).

Further sources

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

April 16, 2023
gabriel, bacquier, french, pronunciation, gabʁjel, bakje, 1924, 2020, french, operatic, baritone, leading, baritones, 20th, century, particularly, associated, with, french, italian, repertoires, considered, fine, singing, actor, equally, home, dramatic, comic,. 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 Opera 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 Gabriel BacquierAs Scarpia in Tosca ChicagoBornGabriel Augustin Raymond Theodore Louis Bacquier 1924 05 17 17 May 1924Beziers FranceDied13 May 2020 2020 05 13 aged 95 Lestre Manche FranceOccupationOperatic baritoneAwardsLegion d Honneur Ordre national du Merite Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Contents 1 Early life and studies 2 Career in France and Belgium 3 International fame 4 Premieres and song 5 Later career 6 Awards and distinctions 7 Selected recordings 8 Film and television 9 References 9 1 Further sources 10 External linksEarly life and studies EditBorn Gabriel Augustin Raymond Theodore Louis Bacquier in Beziers France on 17 May 1924 2 3 4 he was the only child of railway employees 5 As a young boy he was fascinated by everything to do with singing records broadcasts and photos of singers 6 Leaving school aged 14 he worked at his uncle s print shop while studying in Montpellier to become a commercial artist but during the Vichy regime to avoid the round ups and deportations by the Service du travail obligatoire his parents arranged for him to do national service in the Chantiers de Jeunesse on the railways during the Occupation 2 As a teenager he took voice lessons with a Madame Bastard in Beziers in his free time and made his operatic debut during the war as Ourrias in Gounod s Mireille 2 in the town arena After World War II he entered the Paris Conservatoire receiving a scholarship because of his family s modest means 7 and graduated in 1950 4 He was a contemporary of and shared his student life with future leading French singers Regine Crespin Xavier Depraz Michel Senechal and Michel Roux 8 In his final year the director of the Conservatoire Claude Delvincourt allowed him leave to work at the Opera de Nice in the 1949 50 season singing small roles in operas and operettas this along with regular singing spots in cinemas gave him important experience and income before his next career steps 7 Having already gained a first prize for opera comique in his penultimate year he won first prize for singing and second prize for opera at the conclusion of his formal studies Around this time he also took a course in dramatic art 6 Career in France and Belgium EditHe joined the opera company of Jose Beckmans in 1950 and was a member of La Monnaie in Brussels from 1953 until 1956 3 making his debut in the title role of Rossini s Il barbiere di Siviglia 4 There he sang the French repertory both in opera Gounod s Faust Delibes Lakme Massenet s Manon and Werther and in operetta Angelique La belle Helene Les cloches de Corneville Miss Heylett Monsieur Beaucaire He also appeared there in Puccini s La boheme and Madama Butterfly and in Smetana s The Bartered Bride 9 While at the Monnaie the French soprano Martha Angelici whose husband was Francois Agostini director of the Opera Comique at the time sang in Les pecheurs de perles with him she suggested that he audition for the Paris company which accepted him 10 Bacquier made his debut at the Opera 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 Eurovision Seen in Vienna and London these performances led to engagements outside France and the start of his international career 10 International fame EditHe was invited to the Glyndebourne Festival in 1962 to sing Count Almaviva in Mozart s Le nozze di Figaro 4 From 1963 Bacquier sang regularly at the Vienna State Opera and La Scala in Milan From 1964 he appeared at the Royal Opera House in London where his roles included Sir Richard Forth in Bellini s I puritani alongside Joan Sutherland in 1964 Almaviva in 1965 Scarpia in 1966 Malatesta in Donizetti s Don Pasquale in 1973 Doctor Bartolo in Il barbiere in 1975 and Golaud in Debussy s Pelleas et Melisande in 1982 He also appeared in the televised Royal Silver Jubilee Gala in 1977 13 Bacquier made his American debut at a Carnegie Hall concert 6 after which his stage debut was with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1962 4 as the High Priest in Samson et Dalila by Saint Saens which was also his debut role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on 17 October 1964 4 He performed there for 18 seasons 2 as one of only a few French singers 14 including the premiere of a new production of Tosca with Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli 10 15 He also sang frequently at the Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company between 1963 and 1968 making his debut on 22 February 1963 as Zurga in Bizet s Les pecheurs de perles with Ferruccio Tagliavini as Nadir and Adriana Maliponte as Leila His other roles in Philadelphia included Nilakantha in Lakme opposite Joan Sutherland in the title role Germont with Sutherland as Violetta and John Alexander as Alfredo Iago in Verdi s Otello Scarpia and Escamillo in Bizet s Carmen He made his debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1971 as Michele in Puccini s Il tabarro In 1978 he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as Golaud alongside Teresa Stratas as Melisande A reviewer of The New York Times noted the precise fluent inflection of his singing which has to be delicate and yet weighted with feeling 16 Thomas Allen classified Bacquier as a singer actor a voice and a knowledge of his body language such that one can be forgiven for asking the question Is this an actor singing or a singer acting 17 Though closely associated with the French repertory especially Golaud 18 Bacquier resisted being typecast as a French baritone and added many Italian roles to his repertory in addition to those already mentioned such as the Verdi roles Renato in Un ballo in maschera Melitone in La forza del destino Posa in Don Carlos and Falstaff as well as comic roles 19 such as Mozart s Leporello in Don Giovanni and Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte among others 4 At the New York Met in 1982 a critic noted that the best performance in Il Barbiere di Siviglia came from Gabriel Bacquier as a classic Bartolo Every phrase every gesture every note was beautifully timed and projected It seemed improbable that last season s Covent Garden Golaud could be so marvellous a Bartolo 20 In 1975 a critic reviewing Donizettis s L elisir d amore commented that broad humour is quite foreign to Bacquier s nature his doctor Dulcamara is a serious Archie Rice type no caricature but a real man weighed down by his own charlatanism and basically sad that mankind is so gullible 21 Rare tentatives in non French and Italian repertoire came with Wolfram in Tannhauser by Wagner praised by Andre Pernet 10 and the title role in Boris Godunov by Mussorgsky in 1971 22 both sung in French translation By the 1980s Bacquier had arranged his repertory to suit the evolution of his voice from a high tessitura to low and concentrated on roles he felt were more substantial 6 Many of his portrayals are preserved in an extensive discography 4 For The Record of Singing Volume 5 1953 2007 from the LP to the digital era his recording of Une puce gentille from Berlioz s La damnation de Faust was included on disc 7 Premieres and song EditBacquier also created the title roles of Jean Pierre Riviere s Pour un Don Quichotte at La Piccola Scala Milan on 10 March 1961 4 and Daniel Lesur s Andrea del Sarto at the Opera de Marseille in 1969 where one critic wrote rarely has a singer shown such complete mastery both as a vocalist and as an actor As the action unfolds itself so does Bacquier s involvement grow and the death scene was memorable 23 Other world premieres included Maurice Thiriet s La veridique histoire du Docteur and Menotti s Le Dernier Sauvage at the Opera Comique 4 24 In May 1980 he created the title role in the premiere of an opera Cyrano de Bergerac by Paul Danblon as part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the state of Belgium in Liege at the Opera Royal de Wallonie 25 He sang in the premieres of two operas by Jean Michel Damase L Escarpolette on television in 1982 26 and the comedie musicale L as tu revue at the Opera Comique in 1991 27 and in Les Bals de Paris by Emile Desfossez and Le Capitaine et la mort by Maurice Fouret 28 He made his last stage appearance in Paris in June 1994 with a final performance of Don Pasquale at the Opera Comique 2 He appeared as Arkel in Pelleas et Melisande in Marseille in 1995 29 and took part in later public performances such as Somarone in concert performances of Berlioz s Beatrice et Benedict in Toulouse and Paris in February 2003 and as the reciter in Francaix s Les Inestimables Chroniques du bon geant Gargantua in Vichy in December later that year 30 He was also active in the field of melodies and made recordings of songs by Maurice Ravel Deodat de Severac Marc Berthomieu Francis Poulenc and others Two live recitals of melodies 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 Fevrier for French television in June 1964 subsequently issued on DVD 32 Later career EditBacquier 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 Academie 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 Diner avec Gabriel Bacquier Jose van Dam et Claudio Desderi 33 He was one of the lead signatories to a petition in 2008 Appel a la Refondation des Troupes de Theatre 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 Theatre 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 EditBacquier received numerous awards and distinctions in his native France such as Chevalier de la Legion d Honneur Officier de L Ordre national du Merite Officier de L Ordre national du Merite Europeen Commandeur de L Ordre des Arts et des Lettres France and Commandeur de L Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Principaute de Monaco 35 Several recordings in which he sang won the Prix du Disque L heure espagnole DGG 1967 Les contes d Hoffmann Decca 1972 and Enescu s Œdipe EMI 1984 won a Grand Prix du Disque et Prix de Ministere de la Culture In 2004 he was awarded an Orphee d Or Herbert von Karajan for his career and in the same year a Laureat des Victoires de la Musique He also received a Medaille de la Ville de Paris 35 Selected recordings EditThe 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 Pretre EMI 7475598 36 Bizet Les pecheurs 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 Etoile Georges Gautier Gabriel Bacquier Siroco Francois Le Roux Colette Alliot Lugaz Opera de Lyon Conductor John Eliot Gardiner EMI 1984 37 Debussy Pelleas et Melisande Gabriel Bacquier Golaud Michele Command Claude Dormoy Orchestre de Lyon Conductor Serge Baudo Eurodisc 38 Donizetti Don Pasquale Gabriel Bacquier Don Pasquale Barbara Hendricks Gino Quilico Luca Canonici Opera de Lyon Conductor Gabriele Ferro Erato 1990 36 Massenet La Navarraise Marilyn Horne Placido Domingo Sherrill Milnes Nicola Zaccaria Gabriel Bacquier Bustamente London Symphony Orchestra Ambrosian Opera Chorus Conductor Henry Lewis RCA Red Seal 1975 Massenet Manon Beverly Sills Gabriel Bacquier Comte des Grieux Gerard Souzay Michel Trempont New Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor Julius Rudel Deutsche Grammophon 247002 Massenet Thais Anna Moffo Gabriel Bacquier Athanael Jose Carreras Ambrosian Chorus New Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor Julius Rudel RCA Red Seal 1974 39 Massenet Don Quichotte Nicolai Ghiaurov Gabriel Bacquier Sancho Regine 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 Soderstrom Teresa Berganza New Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor Otto Klemperer EMI 1970 40 Mozart Cosi fan tutte Pilar Lorengar Teresa Berganza Jane Berbie Ryland Davies Tom Krause Gabriel Bacquier Alfonso London Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Georg Solti Decca 1973 39 Offenbach Les contes d Hoffmann Placido Domingo Joan Sutherland Gabriel Bacquier Lindorf Coppelius Dapertutto Dr Miracle L Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Conductor Richard Bonynge Decca 1971 41 Offenbach La Perichole Teresa Berganza Jose Carreras Gabriel Bacquier Don Andres Orchestre amp Choeurs du Theatre du Capitole de Toulouse Conductor Michel Plasson EMI 1981 39 Puccini Tosca in French Jane Rhodes Albert Lance Gabriel Bacquier Scarpia L Opera de Paris Conductor Manuel Rosenthal Vega 1960 42 Ravel L Heure espagnole Jane Berbie Gabriel Bacquier Ramiro Michel Senechal Jose van Dam Jean Giraudeau Orchestre National de Paris Lorin Maazel Deutsche Grammophon 1964 36 Rossini Guillaume Tell Gabriel Bacquier title role Montserrat Caballe Nicolai Gedda Mady Mesple Jocelyne Taillon Ambrosian Opera Chorus Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor Lamberto Gardelli EMI 43 Verdi Otello Carlo Cossutta Margaret Price Gabriel Bacquier Iago Wiener Staatsoper amp Philharmoniker Conductor Georg Solti Decca 1977 44 Verdi La forza del destino Leontyne Price Sherrill Milnes Placido Domingo Fiorenza Cossotto Gabriel Bacquier Fra Melitone John Alldis Choir London Symphony Orchestra Conductor James Levine RCA Red Seal 1976 39 Film and television EditBacquier appeared in the 1976 film La Grande Recre 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 Gotz 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 Cosi fan tutte Pelleas et Melisande Andrea 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 Perichole La vie parisienne La belle Helene L as tu revue and Les Mousquetaires au couvent dating from 1960 to 1992 46 References Edit Alain Paris Dictionnaire des interpretes et de l interpretation musicale au XX siecle Editions Robert Laffont Paris 1995 p 197 a b c d e f g h Tobisch Leopold 13 May 2020 Mort de Gabriel Bacquier l un des plus grands barytons francais France Musique in French Retrieved 14 May 2020 a b c Merlin Christian 13 May 2020 Deces de Gabriel Bacquier baryton francais de legende et bete de scene Le Figaro in French Retrieved 13 May 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k Kutsch K J Riemens Leo 2012 Bacquier Gabriel Grosses Sangerlexikon in German 4th ed Walter de Gruyter p 194 ISBN 978 3 59 844088 5 Oussenko Sylvie Gabriel Bacquier le genie de l interpretation MJW Fedition Paris 2011 p 16 a b c d e f g Segalini S People 130 Gabriel Bacquier Opera June 1982 a b Oussenko Sylvie Gabriel Bacquier le genie de l interpretation MJW Fedition Paris 2011 p 20 Crespin Regine A la scene a la ville Arles Actes Sud 1997 p 47 ISBN 2742713476 The digital opera archives of La Monnaie Accessed 11 September 2008 a b c d Bury Laurent Gabriel Bacquier J ai trouve ma voix seulement lorsque j ai eu a lutter avec les grands ForumOpera 23 October 2017 accessed 14 May 2020 Oussenko p 37 a b Yannick Boussaert Deces 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 Pelleasat the MetThe 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 Rosenthal Harold and John Warrack 1979 2nd ed The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera London New York and Melbourne Oxford University Press p 27 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 Sylvie Gabriel Bacquier le genie de l interpretation MJW Fedition Paris 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 Theatre d Operette 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 Sylvie Annexe in Gabriel Bacquier le genie de l interpretation MJW Fedition Paris 2011 p 109 Les Archives de Spectacle entry for Pelleas et Melisande Marseille 1995 accessed 14 May 2020 BnF Catalogue general entry for Les Inestimables Chroniques du bon geant Gargantua accessed 14 May 2020 Worldcat entry for Gabriel Bacquier chante Pierre Louki CD accessed 14 May 2020 Francis Poulenc amp Friends EMI Classics classic archive 2005 DVB 31020009 Milhau Sylvie Doucement les BassesossiaDiner avec Gabriel Bacquier Jose van Dam et Claudio Desderi Editions Canaima ISBN 978 2 9536769 0 7 ClassiqueNews L appel de Michel Senechal et de Gabriel Bacquier Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine 28 May 2008 Accessed 6 November 2008 a b Oussenko S Gabriel Bacquier le genie de l interpretation MJW Fedition Paris 2011 Section Distinctions et recompenses 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 Sylvie Filmographie in Gabriel Bacquier le genie de l interpretation MJW Fedition Paris 2011 pp 111 112 Further sources Edit Alain Paris Dictionnaire des interpretes et de l interpretation musicale au XX siecle 2 vols Editions Robert Laffont Bouquins Paris 1982 4th ed 1995 5th ed 2004 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 opera Les indispensables de la musique Fayard 1995 ISBN 2 213 59567 4 Opera News William V Madison July 2007 Sadie Stanley and Christina Bashford 1992 The New Grove Dictionary of Opera London Macmillan Vol 1 p 272 ISBN 0 935859 92 6 Sadie Stanley and John Tyrrell 2001 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians London Macmillan Vol 2 pp 450 451 ISBN 0 333 60800 3 Warrack John and Ewan West 3rd ed 1996 The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera New York Oxford University Press p 28 ISBN 0 19 280028 0 External links EditGabriel 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 2005Portals Biography Opera Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gabriel Bacquier amp oldid 1144444324, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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