Description

LOUIS RICHARD (BOUSSU, BELGIUM, 5 MAY, 1889 – BOUSSU, BELGIUM, 1977)

 

 

 

 

He studied under Achille Tondeur and at the Conservatoire Royal de Mons with Édouard Martiny. He made his operatic debut in 1918 at the Opera House in Mons and soon established himself in various significant roles across Europe.

His early career saw engagements at the Opera House of Liège (Lüttich) between 1919 and 1921, followed by performances at the Opera House in Strasbourg from 1921 to 1923. His repertoire during this period included important roles such as Escamillo in Carmen, Mephisto and Valentin in Faust, Nilakantha in Lakmé, and Tonio in Pagliacci.

In 1923, he became a leading member of the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, a position he held until 1951. His career at La Monnaie solidified his standing in the Belgian opera scene. He also performed internationally, with guest appearances in cities like Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lyon, Vichy, Ghent, and The Hague. During the 1931-1932 season, he appeared at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

In 1934-1935, he performed at the Paris Grand Opéra, where he took on major roles such as Rigoletto, Wolfram in Tannhäuser, Hérode in Hérodiade, Amonasro in Aida, and Telramund in Lohengrin.

He also participated in the premieres of significant operas at La Monnaie:

• 1924: Prince Igor (as Kontschak)
• 1926: La forza del destino
• 1926: Turandot (as Timur)
• 1928: Mona Lisa (as Francesco)

His wide-ranging repertoire included roles such as Amfortas in Parsifal, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Scarpia in Tosca, Pizarro in Fidelio, Athanaël in Thaïs, Sebastiano in Tiefland, Gunther in Sigurd, and Jochanaan in Salome. His versatility and longevity contributed to his legacy as one of Belgium’s finest baritones.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1918 Mons Opera House

1919-1921 Lüttich Opera House

1921-1923 Strasbourg Opera House

1923-1951 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1931-1932 Opéra de Monte-Carlo

1934-1935 Paris Grand Opéra

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Benvenuto Cellini (Diaz) Arioso RFX10 WLBX10 Columbia, 1930-04-25
2. Carmen (Bizet) Toréador D14216 WLX307 Columbia, 1928-03-20
3. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Scintille diamant RFX10 WLBX1 Columbia, 1930-04-24
4. Faust (Gounod) À moi les plaisirs (w Blaimont) Chantal de Luxe 2087 C-5277
5. Faust (Gounod) Mais ce Dieu que peut-il pour moi (w Blaimont) Chantal de Luxe 2087 C-5276
6. Henri VIII (Saint-Saëns) Air WLX305 Columbia, 1928-03-20
7. La Brabançonne (van Campenhout) DC316 W33019 Columbia
8. Lakmé (Delibes) Ton doux regard se voile D14243 WLX304 Columbia, 1928-03-20
9. Lohengrin (Wagner) Prince merci 72793 RFX 29 Columbia
10. Muette de Portici (Auber) Amour sacré de la patrie (w. Dister) Columbia RF-14 WLB68
11. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prologue D14243 WLX577 Columbia, 1928-10-13
12. Tosca (Puccini) Te Deum Columbia
13. Vers l’avenir (Gevaert) DC316 W33022 Columbia