Description

CHARLES CAMBON (FLORENSAC, FRANCE, 1892 – PARIS, FRANCE, 1966)

 

 

 

 

He began studies at the Conservatory of Toulouse, then the National Conservatory of Paris. Starting in 1923, he was a chorister at the Grand Opéra of Paris and sang there in the following years a multitude of small roles. From 1930 until his retirement in 1953, he appeared at the Grand Opéra in the great heroic baritone roles: Rigoletto, Amonasro in Aida, the Flying Dutchman (1940), Valentin in Faust, the High Priest in Samson et Dalila, Silvio in Pagliacci, Hérode in Massenet’s Hérodiade, and as the Bishop in his Esclarmonde. However, he continued to appear in smaller roles, including Orestes in the premiere of Strauss’ Elektra in 1932 and Altoum in the premiere of Puccini’s Turandot in 1928. In 1924, he sang in the world premiere of Charles-Marie Widor’s opera Nerto; in 1936, in that of Georges Enescu’s opera Oedipe. In 1942 at the Grand Opéra, he took part in the first French performance of Hans Pfitzner’s Palestrina. He completed a lengthy guest engagement at the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona and in 1937 made a guest appearance at London’s Covent Garden. He was frequently to be found on the French provincial stages and often appeared in such French provincial houses as Nice. At the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1945, he sang for the only time Zurga in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles. He became well-known in France for his appearances in radio opera performances. On these, he was heard as (among other roles) Iago in Verdi’s Otello, Hamlet in Thomas’ opera of the same name, Count di Luna in Trovatore, and Athanaël in Massenet’s Thaïs.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1930-1953 Paris Grand Opéra

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Hamlet (Thomas) Comme une pâle fleur Voix de son maître DA5402 0LA 5980 1951-01-26
2. Hamlet (Thomas) Chanson bacchique Voix de son maître DA5053 0LA 5979 1951-01-26
3. Faust (Gounod) Mort de Valentin D15181 WLX 809 Columbia 1929-01-15
4. Hérodiade (Massenet) Vision fugitive DB11238 2LA 5760 Voix de son maître 1950-03-08
5. Otello (Verdi) Credo DB11204 2LA 5152 Voix de son maître 1948-01-08
6. Thais (Massenet) Voilà donc la terrible cité DB11238 2LA 5761 Voix de son maître 1950-03-08
7. Le Roi de Lahore (Massenet) Promesse de mon avenir 522455 Polydor 1932
8. Paillasse (Leoncavallo) Duo Nedda-Silvio with Bernadette Lemichel du Roy 522405 Polydor 1932
9. Sigurd (Reyer) Et Toi, Freia 522391 Polydor 1932
10. Faust (Gounod) Avant de quitter ces lieux 522455 Polydor 1931
11. Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Sois immobile 522406 Polydor 1932
12. La Favorite (Donizetti) Léonore, Viens 516252 Polydor
13. La Favorite (Donizetti) Pour tant d’amour 516525 Polydor
14. Le Trouvère (Verdi) Tout est désert 522472 Polydor 1932
15. Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet) L’orage s’est calmé 516524 Polydor 1931
16. Rigoletto (Verdi) Tous deux égaux 522406 Polydor 1932
17. Samson et Dalila (Saint-Sens) Maudite à jamais soit la race 522455 Polydor 1932
18. Faust (Gounod) Choral des Epees D 15181 LX 810 Columbia
19. Le régiment de Sambre et Meuse (Planquette) 521840 3972 Polydor
20. Marche Lorraine (Ganne) 521840 3975 Polydor