Description

RENÉ MAISON (FRAMERIES, BELGIUM, 24 NOVEMBER, 1895 – MONT-D’OR, FRANCE, 11 JULY, 1962)

 

 

 

 

Born in Frameries, Belgium, he studied in Brussels and Paris. He made his debut in Geneva in 1920, as Rodolfo in La bohème. He also appeared in Nice and Monte Carlo, before making his debut in 1927, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, as Prince Dimitri in Franco Alfano’s Risurrezione, opposite the soprano Mary Garden. His other roles there included Don José, Mylio, Werther, Canio, Cavaradossi, and Jean Gaussin in Massenet’s Sapho.

He made his Paris Opéra debut at the Palais Garnier in 1929, in Henry Février’s Monna Vanna. He sang there regularly until 1940, as Faust, Lohengrin, Radames, Siegmund and Samson. In 1934, he created there the role of Eumolphe in Stravinsky’s Perséphone.

Maison also enjoyed a successful international career, appearing at the Lyric Opera of Chicago (1928-40), the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (1934-37), the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London (1931-36), and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. His Met debut occurred on February 3, 1936, as Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In eight seasons with the Met he sang Don José, Lohengrin, Samson, Julien, Florestan, Hoffmann, des Grieux and Herodes, among other roles.

In 1943, he began teaching at the Juilliard School in New York, and from 1957 until his death, at the Chalof School in Boston. Among his pupils was the baritone turned dramatic tenor Ramon Vinay.

Maison died in Mont-d’Or, France, aged 66. He was, in terms of birth dates, the middle member of a triumverate of outstanding Belgian operatic tenors who reached their peak in the period between the two world wars. The others were the lyric-dramatic tenor Fernand Ansseau (1890-1972) and the lyric tenor Andre D’Arkor (1901-1971).

Maison possessed a powerful and penetrating voice, capable of surprising nuance, and an impressive stage presence (he stood 6 feet 4 inches tall). Posterity is fortunate that he made some commercial, 78-rpm discs of French operatic arias which demonstrate his considerable merits as a singer.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1928 Chicago Civic Opera House Carmen (Don Jose)

1929 Chicago Civic Opera House Lohengrin (Lohengrin)

1930 Chicago Civic Opera House Carmen (Don Jose)

1932 Chicago Civic Opera House Carmen (Don Jose)

1934 Buenos Aires Teatro Colon Manon Lescaut (De Grieux)

1935 Buenos Aires Teatro Colon Carmen (Don Jose)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Damnation de Faust (Berlioz) Merci doux crépuscule Odeon 123.501 xxP6507-2
2. Damnation de Faust (Berlioz) Nature immense Odeon 123.502 xxP6523
3. Faust (Gounod) Alerte!… Anges purs (w. Vallin & Lafont) Odeon 123.509 xxP6525
4. Faust (Gounod) Me voici, d’où vient ta surprise… O merveille! (w. Lafont) Odeon 123.510 123.510 xxP6528 xxP6529
5. Faust (Gounod) Que voulez-vous, messieurs (Trio du duel) (w. Lafont & Bourdin) Odeon 123.509 xxP6526
6. Favorite (Donizetti) Un ange, un femme inconnue Odeon 123.564 xxP6701
7. Hérodiade (Massenet) Ne pouvent reprimer les élans HMV DB4938 2PG1579-1
8. Le crucifix (Faure) (w. Julien Lafont) Odeon 188.546 Ki1406
9. Lohengrin (Wagner) Aux bords lointains (Récit du Graal) Odeon 123.502 xxP6506
10. Lohengrin (Wagner) Ma confiance en toi (Höchstes Vertrau’n) Odeon 188.547 Ki1410-1
11. Louise (Charpentier) Mais un soir, dans l’escalier Odeon 188.539 Ki1363-2
12. Risurrezione (Alfano) Pleure, oui pleure Odeon 188.532 Ki1230-2
13. Sigurd (Reyer) Air d’entrée (Prince du Rhin, au pays ded mon père) Odeon 188.602 Ki1793-1
14. Sigurd (Reyer) Un souvenir poignant Odeon 188.602 Ki1794-1
15. Walküre (Wagner) Chanson du printemps Odeon 123.563 xxP6699-1