Description

ÉMILE BLAIMONT (1890 – 1949)

 

 

 

 

Émile Blaimont was a Belgian tenor active in the 1920s and early 1930s, who built a solid regional career across Belgium and France without appearing at the two principal Parisian institutions, the Paris Opéra and the Opéra-Comique. Despite this absence from the Parisian stage, he was a respected interpreter of the French dramatic and lyric repertoire, particularly in provincial theaters.

Very little reliable biographical information survives about Blaimont. Even basic facts such as his birthplace have been subject to confusion: some sources incorrectly identify him as French, though he was in fact Belgian.

His most important documented engagement was at the La Monnaie in Brussels during the 1925–1926 season. There he undertook a demanding repertoire of leading tenor roles, demonstrating both vocal stamina and stylistic versatility. His appearances included Radamès in Verdi’s Aida (1 performance), Armel in Emmanuel Chabrier’s Gwendoline (13 performances), Jean in Massenet’s Hérodiade (16 performances), Éléazar in Halévy’s La Juive (17 performances), and Samson in Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila (12 performances). This concentration of major roles in a single season suggests that he was a principal tenor of the company at that time.

In Belgium, Blaimont also appeared in other cities. In Verviers, he sang Samson in Samson et Dalila (January 17, 1925) alongside artists such as L. Charny, R. Couzinou, A. Maas, F. Lohest, and F. Gaillard. He also performed in Donizetti’s La favorite there in March (and possibly April) of the same year. In Ghent, he was active in the early 1920s, notably participating in performances during the 1921–1922 season, including Dupont’s Antar, and again in the 1924–1925 season.

His career extended into France, where he appeared in regional opera houses rather than the Parisian scene. Documented engagements include performances in Toulouse in 1931 and in Bordeaux in the same year.

Although Émile Blaimont remains a relatively obscure figure today, the surviving records point to a capable and reliable dramatic tenor who was entrusted with some of the most demanding roles of the French and Italian repertory in important regional theaters. His career illustrates the significant artistic life that existed outside the major Paris institutions in the early twentieth century.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1921-1922 Ghent

1924-1925 Ghent

1925 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1925 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1926 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1926 Strasbourg

1930 Besançon

1931 Toulouse

1931 Bordeaux

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Aida (Verdi) Ô céleste Aida 2083 C-5297 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Carmen (Bizet) La fleur que tu m’avais jetée 1805 J.M. 422 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni) Ô Lola, blanche fleur 1567 J.M. 412 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Faust (Gounod) À moi les plaisirs (w. Richard) 2087 C-5277 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Faust (Gounod) Anges purs, anges radieux (w Thys & Richard) C-5284 2088 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Faust (Gounod) Mais ce Dieu que peut-il pour moi (w. Richard) 2087 C-5276 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Faust (Gounod) Salut, demeure chaste et pure… Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre 1635, 1635, J.M. 519, J.M. 520 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Asile héréditaire… Quel espoir… Suivez-moi 2081, 2081, C-5328, C-5329 Chantal de Luxe, Ghent about 1920

Hérodiade (Massenet) Ne pouvant réprimer… Je songe à cet enfant Chantal de Luxe 1183, 1183, C-5096, C-5097 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

La favorite (Donizetti) Ange si pur 1184 C-5110 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

La favorite (Donizetti) Un ange, une femme inconnue 1184 C-5101 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

La Juive (Halévy) Rachel, quand du Seigneur 2029 C-5112 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

La reine de Saba (Gounod) Faiblesse de la race humaine… Inspirez-moi, grâce divine 1186, 1186, C-5104, C-5105 Chantal de Luxe

L’Africaine (Meyerbeer) Conduisez-moi vers ce navire 2083 C-5270 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920