Description

THEO BAYLÉ (LAREN, NOORD-HOLLAND, 29 MAY 1912 – LAREN MUNICIPALITY, NOORD-HOLLAND, NETHERLANDS, 30 APRIL, 1971)

 

 

 

 

This Dutch baritone, trained by the renowned Dutch concert singer Aaltje Noordewier-Reddingius in Hilversum, made his first significant appearance as a concert singer in Holland in 1936. Two years later, in 1938, he joined the Dutch Opera in Amsterdam, where he would perform until 1950. That year, he transitioned to the Vienna State Opera, where he enjoyed a successful career, also performing at the Vienna Volksoper until 1962. His talent brought him opportunities to guest perform across Germany, France, Belgium, and Holland.

One of the highlights of his career was singing the role of Tereus in the 1950 world premiere of Hendricus Franciscus Andriessen’s opera Philomela, composed for the jubilee of Dutch Queen Wilhelmina. He also participated in two world premieres at the prestigious Salzburg Festival: Penelope by Liebermann in 1954 and Irische Legende by Egk in 1955.

Though he occasionally sang tenor roles, such as in The Tales of Hoffmann at the Stadttheater in Ulm in 1955, he primarily focused on baritone roles. His repertoire included iconic parts such as the Count in The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto, Renato in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera, Posa in Don Carlos, Count Luna in Il Trovatore, Germont Sr. in La Traviata, Gérard in Andrea Chénier, Scarpia in Tosca, Tonio in Pagliacci, Dapertutto in The Tales of Hoffmann, and Escamillo in Carmen.

A notable moment in his international career was his appearance at the New York City Centre Opera in 1951, as well as a performance at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels in 1954. Despite his successes, after returning to Holland later in his life, he struggled to maintain the same level of recognition and eventually gave up his singing career in 1964. He passed away impoverished, working as a music teacher in a small Dutch town. His legacy is preserved through recordings on labels like Philips, Decca, and Remington, as well as the Orfeo label’s recording of the Salzburg premiere of Liebermann’s Penelope from 1954.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Ballo in maschera Eri tu (Verdi) Decca X 10037 AM 1002A
2. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Largo al factotum Decca X 10037 1003A
3. Boheme (Puccini) O Mimi, tu piu non torni (w. Delorco) Remington – R-199-104 LP, 1953
4. Boheme (Puccini) Addio Dolce Svegliare (w. Delorco & Ilitsch) Remington – R-199-104 LP, 1953
5. Boheme (Puccini) Last Scene (Complete) From “Ce Mimi… (w. Delorco, Boesch, Ilitsch, Rus & Oeggl) Remington – R-199-104 LP, 1953
6. Don Carlo (Verdi) Per me giunte Decca X 10113 AM 1236C
7. Faust (Gounod) Avant de quitter ces lieux Philips AA 11179.2 G
8. Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) Vedrò mentr’io Decca X 10113 1237A
9. Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Scintille diamant miroir Philips AA 09011.1S
10. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Prologo Pt 1, Pt 2 Decca X 10034 AM 984A, 985A
11. Rigoletto (Verdi) Ah! Solo per me l’infamia… Piangi fanciulla (w. Spoorenberg) Philips AA 12065.1 G, AA 12065.2 G