Description

HECTOR DUFRANNE (MONS, 25 OCTOBER, FRANCE, 1870 – PARIS, FRANCE, 4 MAY, 1951)

 

 

 

 

He received his education in Brussels and debuted in 1896 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels as Valentin in Gounod’s Faust. In 1899, he joined the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where he sang for many years. He appeared in numerous premieres, including L’Ouragan by A. Bruneau on April 29, 1901, Grisélidis by Massenet on November 20, 1901, Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy on April 30, 1902, La fille de Roland by Rabaud on March 16, 1904, Les Armaillis by Gustave Doret on November 9, 1906, Le Chemineau by Xavier Leroux on November 6, 1907, La Habanéra by Laparra on February 26, 1908, and L’Heure espagnole by Ravel on May 19, 1911. On February 7, 1907, he performed at the opera house in Monte Carlo in the premiere of Massenet’s Thérèse and later that year in the premiere of Naïs Micoulin by Alfred Bruneau. In 1914, he made a guest appearance at Covent Garden in London.

Since 1907, he was also a member of the Grand Opéra in Paris, where in 1910 he sang the role of Jochanaan in the Paris premiere of Richard Strauss’s Salome. From 1908 to 1910, he was engaged by the Manhattan Opera House in New York, where he sang Golaud in the American premiere of Pelléas et Mélisande in 1908. In the 1910s, he became a member of the Chicago Opera, where he performed on December 30, 1921, in the premiere of Prokofiev’s L’Amour des trois oranges. From 1922, he resumed his activities in France. On June 25, 1923, he appeared in the premiere of Manuel de Falla’s El retablo de Maese Pedro at the private theater of the Princess de Polignac in Paris, singing the title role. In 1924, he performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris in the premiere of Les Burgraves by Léon Sachs.

After his retirement, he lived in Paris, where he taught singing for many years until his death in 1951.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1909 New York  Manhattan Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1909 Philadelphia  Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1910 Chicago  Civic Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1910 Atlanta  Opera Carmen (Escamilio)

1911 Philadelphia  Teatro Metropolitan Carmen (Escamilio)

1911  St.Paul  Auditorium Carmen (Escamilio)

1911 Baltimora  Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1911 Chicago  Civic Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1911 Philadelphia  Teatro Metropolitan Carmen (Escamilio)

1911 Boston  Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1911  Milwaukee  Pabst Theater Carmen (Escamilio)

1912 Philadelphia Teatro Metropolitan Carmen (Escamilio)

1912 Chicago  Civic Opera House Mignon (Laerte)

1912 Chicago  Civic Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1914 Chicago  Civic Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1915 Chicago  Civic Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1915 Chicago  Civic Opera House Werther (Albert)

1916 Chicago  Civic Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

1917 Chicago  Civic Opera House Carmen (Escamilio)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) C’est toi qu’enfin je revois (w. Beyle) 34169 6117o G&T, Paris 1906

Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy) Un appartement dans le château (1) scène 2 de l’acte II (w. Nespoulous) D 15023 LX 193 Columbia, Paris 1927

Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy) Un appartement dans le château (2) scène 2 de l’acte II (w. Nespoulous) D 15023 LX 194 Columbia, Paris 1927

Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy) Une des tours du château scène 1 de l’acte III (w. Nespoulous & Maguenat) D 15027 LX 223 Columbia, Paris 1927

Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy) Une forêt, pt 1 (w. Nespoulous) L2233 LX187 Columbia, Paris 1927

Pelléas et Mélisande (Debussy) Une forêt, pt 2 (w. Nespoulous) L2233 LX188 Columbia, Paris 1927

Prophète (Meyerbeer) Aussi nombreux que les étoiles (w. chorus) 3-32690 6610o G&T, Paris 1907-03 to 06

Puritani (Bellini) Suoni la tromba (w. Scott) A5558 36880 Columbia, New York 1914-02-24

Reine de Chypre (Halévy) Triste exilé (w. Beyle) 034017 585i G&T, Paris 1907-10

Rigoletto (Verdi) Belle fille (w. Beyle, Korsoff &  Cléry) 034016 562i (5062i) G&T, Paris 1907

Si j’étais roi (Adam) Chanson à boire X-82516 Zonophone, Paris 1906

Si j’étais roi (Adam) Dans le sommeil X-82517 Zonophone, Paris 1906

Thaïs (Massenet) Voilà donc la terrible cité A5558 36885 Columbia, New York 1914-02-27

Tosca (Puccini) Si pour de beaux yeux X-82671 Zonophone, Paris 1906

Ver l’avenir, Chant national bèlge (Gaevert) (w. chorus) 3-32871 6493h Gramophone, Paris 1908-10