His real name was Donald Mackenzie Brownlee. During
the First World War he served as naval cadet, then studied at the Geelong
College and became an auditor. In 1924 his voice was discovered by Nellie Melba,
when during the second Australian tour in Melbourne he sang the part of Baßsolo
in ‘’Messiah’’. Then he continued his education in Paris under the famous
baritone Dinh Gilly. He made his second debut in 1926 at the Théâtre
Trianon-Lyrique in Paris in ‘’Lakmé’’ of L. Delibes. The same year he appeared
opposite Nellie Melba at the London Covent Garden. In the 1927-1936 seasons he
worked at the Grand Opéra in Paris (debut: Athanaël in ‘’Thaïs’’ of J. Massenet).
During this time he made guest appearances in London, Brussels (1939), Antwerp,
Buenos Aires (1931) and in Rio de Janeiro. In 1929, as a member of Nellie Melba’s
opera troupe, he sang again in Australia. At the Royal Opera House, Covent
Garden he appeared between 1930 and 1949 as Mercutio in ’’Roméo et Juliette’’, Golo
in ‘’Pelléas et Mélisande’’, Jago in ‘’Otello’’, Amonasro in ‘’Aida’’ and as Scarpia
in ‘’Tosca’’. In 1935 he performed there in the English première of the opera ‘’Koanga’’
by Delius. In the 1949-1950 season he had at Covent Garden a huge success as Papageno
in ‘’Zauberflöte’’. In 1930 he made guest appearances at the Opéra de
Monte-Carlo as Athanaël, Rigoletto, Peter in ‘’Quo vadis?’’ bt Nouguès, Escamillo
in ‘’Carmen’’, Valentin in ‘’Faust’’ and as Wolfram in ‘’Tannhäuser’’. From
1935 to 1939 seasons he appeared at the Glyndebourne festival as Don Giovanni, Alfonso
in ‘’Così fan tutte’’, Speaker in ‘’Zauberflöte’’ and as Count in ‘’Figaros
Hochzeit’’. In 1947 he again sang there in ‘’Figaros Hochzeit’’, in 1949 in ‘’Così
fan tutte’’. In the 1948-1949 season he appeared at the Edinburgh festival. In the
1937-1957 seasons he was a member of the New York Metropolitan Opera. Here he
made his debut as Rigoletto and sang in 1948 in the première of the opera ‘’Peter
Grimes’’ of B. Britten.At the Metropolitan Opera his repertoire included Count
in ‘’Figaros Hochzeit’’, Don Giovanni, Alfonso in ‘’Così fan tutte’’, Papageno,
Kothner in ‘’ Meistersingern’’, Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’, Marcello in ‘’La
Bohème’’. In the 1937-1938 and 1945 seasons he was to be found at the Chicago
Opera, in the 1940-1950 seasons almost annually at San Francisco Opera. In 1957
he retired from the stage and since 1960 he was a president of the Manhattan Institute
of Music. From 1953 to 1967 he was a president of the American Guild of musical
Artists. Later he became a respected vocal pedagogue (among other things
teacher of Ezio Flagello and Johanna Meier).
Chronology of some appearances
Marcello 3/9/1937, Il marito 3/3/1938, 3/8/1938, Lescaut 12/13/1938, Il marito 1/11/1939, Valentin 1/2/1940, Il conte d’Almaviva 12/3/1940, Sharpless 3/4/1941, Pan 1/20/1942, Golaud 3/21/1944, Marcello 1/16/1945, Dottor Malatesta 1/22/1946, La père 1/6/1948, Captain Balstrode 2/17/1948, Il conte d’Almaviva 1/18/1949, Marcello 12/20/1949, Herr von Faninal 1/9/1951, Dr. Falke 4/3/1951, Don Alfonso 1/27/1953, Fritz Kothner 2/14/1956, Sharpless 2/14/1957 (in Filadelfia).
RECORDINGS FOR SALE
HMV, 6-3-29
Hamlet (Thomas): Comme une pâle fleur 2-032154 D1654
Hamlet (Thomas): Le vin dissipe la tristesse 2-032153 D1654
Invictus (Huhn) 6-2618 E 442
HMV, 1925-12-17
Traviata (Verdi): Dite alla giovine
with Nellie Melba DB987 Cc 9550
Columbia, 1935-12-09
Bohème (Puccini): Oh! Come e belle e morbide with Lisa Perli (Dora Labbette), Stella Andreva, Heddle Nash, Robert Alva and Robert Easton LX 526 CAX 7690
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