Mercedes Farry (Soprano)

She had a notable career in Spain in major zarzuela and operatic roles (such as Ophelia in Thomas’Hamlet). She made her U.S. debut in 1922 in concert at Aeolian Hall, NYC. One critic indicated that the coloratura arias were “exceedingly well sung” and that “Mme. Farry exhibited coloratura abilities of a high order. Her scales were sung with admirable clarity”.

Chronology of some appearances

1922 U. S. Aeolian Hall Concert

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Gramophone, Barcelona 1915-11-12
El Maestro Campanone (Mazza): 63814 19191u
Hijas del Zebedeo (Chapí): Romanza 63815 19192u

Gramophone, Barcelona 1916-01-10

Marina (Arrieta): Por dios with Jose Palet Unpubl. 03090v

Gramophone, Barcelona 16-1-13

Marina (Arrieta): Terceto with Jose Palet and Inocencio Navarro 064127 03093v

Francisco Izal (Baritone) (Corella, Spain 1886 – Sydney, Australia 9. 12. 1956)

His real name was Francisco Izal y Delgado. Young he emigrated to Argentina, where in 1917 he made his debut at the Teatro Marconi in Buenos Ayres. Here he appeared in 1918 at the Teatro Colón among other things in parts like Silvio in ‘’Pagliacci’’, Morales in ‘’Carmen’’, Monterone in ‘’Rigoletto’’ and Silvano in ‘’Ballo in maschera’’. Two years later he sang principal roles at the Italian provincial operatic stages and in 1920 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venezia sang with great success. Here he sang in Catalani’s ‘’Loreley’’.  In 1924 he guested in Tripoli as Rigoletto. Since 1925 he undertook a vast East tour with an Italian traveling opera society and visited afterwards Singapore, Java and Thailand. He retired from the stage in 1934.

Chronology of some appearances

1917 Buenos Ayres Teatro Marconi

1918 Buenos Ayres Teatro Colón

1920 Venezia Teatro La Fenice

1924 Tripoli Teatro Miramare

1926 Novara Teatro Coccia

1927 Buenos Ayres Teatro Coliseo

1931 Melbourne His Majesty's

1934 Sidney Australian Broadcasting

RECORDINGS FOR SALE 

  

Pathé, Milano 1922? 

Rigoletto (Verdi): Pari siamo 10338 86765 

Rigoletto (Verdi): Sì, vendetta with Anna Sassone-Soster 12585 86772

Rigoletto (Verdi): Deh, non parlare with Anna Sassone-Soster 12584 86774

Rigoletto (Verdi): Lassù in cielo with Anna Sassone-Soster 12585  86773 

Rigoletto (Verdi): Piangi, fanciulla with Anna Sassone-Soster 12584  86775

Carmen (Bizet): Strofe del toreador 10338 86776

Pathé, Milano 1923?

Rigoletto (Verdi): Cortigiani vil razza dannata 10380  86947

Andrea Chénier (Giordano): Nemico della patria 10381  86950

Ernani (Verdi): O dei verd'anni miei 10381 86949

Pathé, Milano 1924?

Nerone (Boito): Benedizion! with Lina Lanza 12612  84850

Ballo in maschera (Verdi): Eri tu 10400 84852

Nerone (Boito): Vivete in pace 10399  84853

Gioconda (Ponchielli): Pescatore, affonda l'esca 10399 84854

Julia Lucas (Soprano)

She was the wife of the tenor Georges Lucas (1868-?), who appeared at the French provincial theaters and sang in the 1907-1908 season at the Metropolitan Opera in New Yok. She was engaged (like her husband) in the 1899-1900 season by the Grand Opéra in Paris; here she sang the parts of Matguerite de Valois in ''Huguenots'', Hilda in ''Sigurd'' and Mathilde in  ''Wilhelm Tell''.

Chronology of some appearances

1899-1900 Paris Grand Opera

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Edison 2-min cylinders, Paris 1908?

Fille du Régiment (Donizetti): Couplet du 21e 18008

Edison 4-min cylinders, Paris 1909?

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Sombre forêt 17023

Otto Beck (Tenor)

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Parlophon, Berlin 1911
Tannhäuser (Wagner): Inbrunst im Herzen P426
Tannhäuser (Wagner): Nach Rom gelangt' ich so P427

Jules Baldous (Bass/Baritone) (Montpellier, 18 août 1884 – ?)

In the 1912-13 season he was active at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, then he went to France and appeared there at the provincial theaters. In 1922 he made guest appearance at the Grand Opéra in Paris as Wotan in ''Walküre'' and as an Athanaël in ''Thaïs''. Then, since 1927 to the end of the 1930's he was one of the most important singers of the Paris Opéra-Comique. Here he appeared in the premieres of the operas ''Le bon Roi Dagobert'' of Samuel-Rousseau (1927), ''Le Roi d'Yvetot'' of J. Ibert (1930), ''Cantegril'' of R. Ducasse (1931) and ''Gargantua'' of A. Mariotte (1935). At the Opéra-Comique his repertoire included Nilakantha in ''Lakmé'' of L. Delibes (his beginning role at this house), Lothario in ''Mignon'' of A. Thomas, Nourabad in ''Pêcheurs de perles'' of G. Bizet, Ramon in ''Mireille'' of C. Gounod, Vulcain in ''Philémon et Baucis'' of the same composer, the king in ''Le Roi d'Ys'' of E. Lalo, the father in ''Louise'' of G. Charpentier, Graf des Grieux in J. Massenet's ''Manon'', the prior in ''Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame'', Tonio in ''Pagliacci'', Schaunard in ''La Bohème'', Scarpia in ''Tosca'' and Sharpless in ''Madama Butterfly''. 

Chronology of some appearances

1912-1913  Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie
1922 Paris Opera-Comique
1927-1930's Paris Opera-Comique

RECORDING FOR SALE

Perfectaphone
Les Contes d'Hoffmann (Offenbach): C'est moi Coppélius 3490

Marinette Fenoyer (Mezzo-Soprano)

In  1927 she joined to the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where she made her debut as Rosette in J. Massenet’s ‘’Manon’’ and sang during the following twenty years (at least till 1949) a principal roles as well as comprimaria parts like Mercedes in ‘’Carmen’’, Mallika in ‘’Lakmé’’ and Gertrude in ‘’Louise’’.  In 1935 she made guest appearance at the Covent Garden in London as Mercedes, while the famous Conchita Supervia appeared as Carmen.

Chronology of some appearances

1927-1949 Paris Opera-Comique

1935 London Covent Garden

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Odeon, Paris 1928-05-26
Carmen (Bizet): Mêlons! Coupons!, pt 1 with Lebard & Cernay 123555 XXP6680

Columbia, Paris 1928-12-11
Manon (Massenet): Le coupable est monsieur with Rogatchewsky, Guénot, de Creus, Féraldy, Vavon & Rambert LX218 WLX685

Parlophone, Paris 1930-06-28
Lakmé (Delibes): Sous les dômes épais with Ben Sedira 29519 106456-
Lakmé (Delibes): Mais je ne sais with Ben Sedira 29519 106457

Parlophone, Paris 1930-12-11
Hérodiade (Massenet): Il est doux, il est bon (Air de Salomé) 59093 95591 

Parlophone, Paris 1931-01-30
Werther (Massenet): Les larmes 29010 106920
Carmen (Bizet): En vain pour éviter (Air des cartes) 29010 106921

Anton Maria Topitz (Tenor) (Kodetschlag, Bohemia 26 February 1887 - Berlin, Germany 7 September 1949)

His father was a headmaster and choral regent. He received his education at the conservatoire of Vienna under Philipp Forstén and made his debut as an opera singer in 1919 at the German Theater of Brünn (Brno) as Lohengrin. In 1930’s he was active at the Berlin concert hall. Temporarily he was a member of the famous Rosenthal-vocal quartet in Leipzig. Several times he travelled around North America, where he gave a concerts and appeared with success as an oratorio singer. He also composed some several songs. Since 1942 he worked as a music journalist in Berlin.

Chronology of some appearances

1919-1921 Brünn German Theater

1921-1923 Graz Opera

1923-1925 Leipzig Opera

1925-1926 Berlin Urban Opera

1926 Leipzig Opera

1926 Weimar National Theater

1926 Paris Concert

1927 Salzburg Concert

1927 Munich Concert

1927 Budapest Concert

1928 Athens Concert

1929 Warsaw Concert

1930 Warsaw Concert

1930 Vienna Concert

1930 Stockholm Concert

1931 Stockholm Concert

1931 Madrid Concert

1931 Oslo Concert

1931 Copenhagen Concert
1931 Salzburg Concert

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Electrola, Berlin 1927-03-17
Das Grab auf der Heide (Heiser) EH56 CwR896
An der Weser (Pressel) EH56 CwR897

Grammophon, Berlin 1927

Missa Solemnis (Beethoven): Kyrie, pt 1 with Leonard, Schlosshauer-Reynolds & Bruno-Kittel-Chor 66664 655bm

Missa Solemnis (Beethoven): Kyrie, pt 2 with Leonard, Schlosshauer-Reynolds, Guttmann & Bruno-Kittel-Chor 66664 657bm

Missa Solemnis (Beethoven): Kyrie, pt 2 with Leonard, Schlosshauer-Reynolds, Guttmann & Bruno-Kittel-Chor 66665 657½bm

Electrola, Berlin 1928-05-24
Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume (Sieczynski) EG1126 BL4206-1,1A
Im Prater blüh'n wieder die Bäume (Stolz) EG910  BL4207-1,1A