ANDRÉ PERNET (RAMBERVILLERS/LES VOSGES, FRANCE, 6
JANUARY, 1894 – PARIS, FRANCE, 17 JUNE, 1966)
After serving as an officer in
the French army during World War I, he pursued vocal studies in Jura, allowing
his voice to develop naturally. He trained at the Conservatoire National de
Paris, where he studied under André Gresse, among others. His operatic debut
came in 1921 at the Nice Opera, where he performed the role of Vitellius in
Massenet’s Hérodiade. Over the next several years, he sang on provincial stages
in France, including Cannes, Strasbourg, Deauville, Toulouse, and Geneva.
In 1928, he was invited to
perform at the Paris Grand Opéra, where he quickly rose to prominence as one of
the leading French singers in his vocal category. His premieres at the Grand
Opéra included roles in notable works such as Ibert’s Persée et Andromède
(1929), Reynaldo Hahn’s Le marchand de Venise (as Shylock, 1935), George
Enesco’s Oedipe (1936), Darius Milhaud’s Maximilien (1932), Canteloube’s Vercingétorix
(1933), and Henri Rabaud’s Roland et le mauvais garçon (1934).
In 1931, due to disagreements
over fees, he briefly left the Grand Opéra, performing exclusively at the
Opéra-Comique for a season. His most celebrated roles included Massenet’s Don
Quichotte, Méphisto in Gounod’s Faust, Boris Godunov, and Don Giovanni. He made
renowned guest appearances internationally, including in Amsterdam, Brussels,
London, Monte Carlo, and North America.
Pernet also appeared in a film
adaptation of Charpentier’s Louise, where he was partnered with Grace Moore and
Georges Thill, conducted by the composer himself. He remained a member of the
Paris Grand Opéra and Opéra-Comique until 1948. After retiring in 1949, he
resided in Paris and sadly became completely paralyzed later in life.
TRACKLIST
1. Faust (Gounod) Vous qui faites
l’endormie Odeon 188.782 Ki-3840
2. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
La calomnie HMV DB5019 2LA1457
3. Boris Godounov (Moussorgsky)
J’ai le pouvoir suprème Odeon 123.723 XXP7148
4. Boris Godounov (Moussorgsky)
Je souffre, je succombe Odeon 123.723 XXP7149
5. Damnation de Faust (Berlioz)
Chanson de la puce HMV unpubl 2LA1828
6. Don Giovanni (Mozart) Sérénade
& Pour cette fête HMV DA4850 0PG1451
7. Don Giovanni (Mozart) Viens,
une voix t’appelle (w. Delmas) HMV DA4850 0PG1453
8. Don Quichotte (Massenet) C’est
vers ton amour Odeon 188.783 Ki-3838
9. Don Quichotte (Massenet) Je
suis le chevalier Odeon 188.783 Ki-3839
10. Faust (Gounod) Le veau d’or
Odeon 188.782 Ki-3841
11. Huguenots (Meyerbeer)
Bénédiction HMV DB5044 2LA2257
12. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Les
troubles HMV DB5044 2LA1827
13. Lakmé (Delibes) Lakmé, ton
doux regard se voile (Stances) Odeon 123.693 XXP7058
14. Louise (Charpentier) Berceuse
Odeon 123.711 XXP7089
15. Mireille (Gounod) Si les
filles d’Arles Odeon 188.716 Ki-3241
16. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)
Prologue HMV DB5019 2LA1460
17. Philémon et Baucis (Gounod) Au
bruit des lourds Odeon 188.851 Ki-4980
18. Philémon et Baucis (Gounod)
Que le songes heureux Odeon 188.851 Ki-4979
19. Thaïs (Massenet) Voilà donc la
terrible cité Odeon 123.711 XXP7318
20. Boris Godounov (Moussorgsky)
Mort de Boris HMV unpubl. 2LA2258
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