Description

GASTON DEMARCY (MARCINELLE, BELGIUM, 1884 – GAILLAC, FRANCE, 1972)

His real name was Gaston Culot. He studied singing first under Désiré Demest in Brussels, then with Jean Martapoura in Paris. During the 1911-1914 and 1918-1920 seasons, he was engaged by the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Here, he sang roles such as Valentin in Gounod’s Faust, Rigoletto, Amonasro in Aida, and Scarpia in Tosca. He also participated in the premieres of several operas, including Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West (1912), Parsifal (1914), and Gabriel Fauré’s Pénélope (1913).

After a guest performance in Rio de Janeiro in 1920 as Lescaut in Massenet’s Manon, and appearances at the Monte Carlo Opera in 1921, where he performed roles like the Grand Prêtre in Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, Hérode in Massenet’s Hérodiade, Nevers in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, Valentin in Faust, and Amfortas in Parsifal, he was engaged from 1922 to 1928 as the first baritone at the Royal Opera in Antwerp.

In 1944, he still performed in Pau and Perpignan, including a production of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, where he sang alongside Georges Thill.

Chronology of some appearances

1911-1914 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1918-1920 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1920 Rio de Janeiro Opera House

1921 Monte Carlo Opera House

1922-1928 Antwerp Royal Opera

TRACKLIST

1. Bohème (Puccini) Ah, Mimi s’en est allée (w. Lheureux) Parlophone 397 P2113
2. Carmen (Bizet) Air du toreador Imperial 1334
3. Carmen (Bizet) Je suis Escamillo (w. Lheureux) Parlophone 490 P2155
4. Guglielmo Tell (Rossini) Sois immobile Imperial 1334
5. Nöel païen (Jules Massenet) Cristal 5112 J.3637
6. Paillasse (Leoncavallo) Prologue Cristal 5112 J.3634
7. Traviata (Verdi) Ne reviendra-tu jamais Edison Bell 1110
8. Trovatore (Verdi) Son regard, son doux sourire Edison Bell 1110