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

 

 

L’Africaine (Meyerbeer) Pays merveilleux… Ô paradis 1187 C-5111 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Le trouvère (Verdi) Supplice infâme 1805 J.M. 424 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Lohengrin (Wagner) Aux bords lointains 2500 J.M. 280 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Manon (Massenet) Je suis seul… Ah fuyez 2029 C-5114 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Navarraise (Massenet) O bien-aimée, pourquoi n’es-tu pas là 1567 J.M. 425 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Pauvre Paillasse 1584 J.M. 508 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Rigoletto (Verdi) Comme la plume au vent 1639 J.M. 426 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Rigoletto (Verdi) Qu’une belle 1639 J.M. 570 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Vois ma misère, hélàs… Frères, votre chant douleureux 1569, 1569, J.M. 420, J.M. 421 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Sapho (Massenet) Ce monde que je vois… Qu’il est loin mon pays 2500 J.M. 436 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Tosca (Puccini) Le ciel luisait d’étoiles 1583 J.M. 506 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Werther (Massenet) Invocation à la nature 2027 C-5109 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Werther (Massenet) J’aurai sur ma poitrine 2027 C-5108 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Werther (Massenet) La mort de Werther Non Charlotte je meurs… mais écoute bien… Là bas au fond du cimetière 1636 J.M. 514 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me réveiller Chantal de Luxe 1187 C-5099 Chantal de Luxe, Gent about 1920

Werther (Massenet) Tristes pensées… Oui ce qu’elle m’ordonne… Lorsqu’un enfant revient d’un voyage 1636 J.M. 521 Chantal de Luxe