ALFRED MAGUENAT (1880 - 1928)
He began his career singing character and buffo roles, making his
debut in 1908 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris as Baron Douphol in Verdi’s La
Traviata. However, he soon transitioned to major baritone roles. In 1911, he
sang at the Opéra de Nice as Sebastiano in the French premiere of d'Albert’s
Tiefland. He became particularly known for his portrayal of Figaro in Rossini’s
Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
In 1913, he performed at the Théâtre Gaîté-Lyrique in Paris in the
premiere of Henri Février’s Carmosine, and in 1914, he sang in Lamarjat’s opera
Chacun pour soi. From 1914 to 1917, he achieved great success at the Monte
Carlo Opera House in roles such as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor (with Enrico
Caruso and Graziella Pareto), André in Massenet’s Thérèse, La Balafre in
Godard’s La Vivandière, Amonasro in Aida, Germont in La Traviata, and Napoleon
in Giordano’s Madame Sans-Gêne. He also appeared in the premiere of Massenet’s
posthumous opera Cléopâtre in Monte Carlo in 1914.
From 1915 to 1919, he was engaged by the Chicago Opera, where he
participated in the 1919 premiere of Henri Février’s Gismonda. In 1913, he made
his debut at Covent Garden in London as Pelléas in Pelléas et Mélisande, a
signature role. He returned to Covent Garden in 1914, 1919, 1920, and 1926,
notably performing in the English premiere of Massenet’s Thérèse in 1919.
In 1922, he appeared at the Grand Opéra in Paris as Hérode in
Massenet’s Hérodiade. In 1924, he joined Nellie Melba’s Australian tour. He
retired from the stage in 1927 and subsequently became involved in teaching.
TRACKLIST
1. La paloma
(Yradier) X111224 XP5684 Odeon, Paris 1912
2. La
carmagnole (Stanislas) 1156 Pathé, Paris 1913?
3. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prologue 44620 Unpubl., Edison, Paris 1913
4. La Poupee
de Nuremberg (Adam) Pour la valse (w. Lafargue) 034170 02618v Gramophone, Paris 1912-12-11
5. La
veritable Manola (Bourgeois) X111256 XP5685 Odeon, Paris 1912
6. Le grand
coureur (P. Pares, G. van Parys) D11025 LX460
7. Le
grenier (Meissonnier) X111428 XP5918 Odeon, Paris 1912/1913
8. Les
pecheurs de Groix (P. Pares, G. van Parys) D11025 LX459
9. L'Internationale
(Degeyter) 1157 3010 Pathé, Paris 1913?
10. Quo
Vadis? (Nouguès) Vien pres de moi 4-32581 P186 Gramophone, Paris 18-12-12
11. Quo
Vadis? (Nouguès) Errer à travers les mers X111614 XP6077 Odeon, Paris 1913?
12. Si vous
l'aviez compris (Denza) 0232190 02440v Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-22
13. Africaine
(Meyerbeer) L'avoir tant adorée 032273 02603½v Gramophone, Paris 1912-11-28
14. Benvenuto
(Diaz) De L'art splendeur immortelle W 181
15. Thérèse (Massenet) Duo de la fontaine (w. Brohly) 034169/034171, 02619v, Gramophone, Paris 1912-12-11
