Description

CLAIRE CROIZA (PARIS, 14 SEPTEMBER, 1882 – PARIS, 27 MAY, 1946)

Claire Croiza, née Conelly, studied at the Conservatoire National in Paris and made her stage debut in 1905 at the Nancy Opera House, performing in De Lara’s Messaline. The same year, she appeared at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, creating the role of Geneviève in the premiere of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Her Brussels engagements spanned from 1910 to 1914, where she excelled in roles such as Dalila in Samson et Dalila, Carmen, Charlotte in Werther, the title role in Fauré’s Pénélope, Erda in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and notably, Gluck’s Orpheus. She was also part of the 1910 Brussels premiere of Éros Vainqueur by Pierre de Bréville.

Croiza’s career extended across Europe. She performed Carmen in Cologne in 1910 with the Brussels ensemble and, at the Monte Carlo Opera, sang roles including Cieca in La Gioconda (1911), the title role in Thérèse by Massenet (1916), Armide by Lully, and Orpheus by Gluck (1918). In Paris, she portrayed Dalila at the Grand Opéra (1908), performed Monteverdi’s Incoronazione di Poppea at the Théâtre des Arts (1913), and sang in Zurich (1918) as Charlotte and Geneviève. In 1914, she joined the Paris Opéra-Comique but increasingly focused on concert singing, particularly excelling as an interpreter of French art song.

She was celebrated for her interpretations of contemporary French composers, including Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, Roussel, and de Bréville. She sang in the 1919 Paris premiere of the stage version of Debussy’s La Damoiselle élue and later premiered works by Honegger and Roussel. Paul Valéry acclaimed her as “la voix la plus sensible de notre génération.”

From 1922, Croiza taught interpretation courses at the École Normale in Paris and, from 1934 to 1944, served as a professor at the Paris Conservatoire. Her notable students included Janine Micheau, Jacques Jansen, Camille Maurane, and Gérard Souzay. Her contributions were chronicled in H. Abraham’s biography, Un art d’interprétation: Claire Croiza (Paris, 1954).

TRACKLIST

      Columbia, Paris

1. Ariettes oubliées, no 2 Il pleure dans mon coeur (Verlaine-Debussy) with Francis Poulenc, piano June 1928 (WL1212) D13084
2. Chanson triste (Henry Cazalis as Jean Lahor-Duparc) ca. July 1930 (WM 37) LF59
3. Cinque poèmes de Baudelaire, no. 3 Le jet d’eau (Baudelaire-Debussy) July 1930 (WMX 5) LFX109
4. Deux mélodies, Op. 191 Light (Aubry-Roussel) ca. December 1928 (WLX657) D15129  with Albert Roussel, piano
5. Deux mélodies, Op. 202 Sarabande (Chalupt-Roussel) ca. November 1928 ([W]L1328) D13084  with Albert Roussel, piano
6. Deux poèmes chinois, Op. 122 Les amoureux séparés (Roche-Roussel) ca. November 1928 (WL1329) D13082  with Albert Roussel, piano
7. Deux rondels (attr. Villon-Pierre de Bréville) 1 Adieu vous dy… 2 Le souvenir de vous me tue ca. December 1928 (WLX682) D15129  with Pierre de Bréville, piano
8. Jazz dans la nuit, Op. 38 (Dommange-Roussel) ca. July 1930 (WMX 6) LFX109
9. Le bestiaire, ou Le cortège d’Orphée (Apollinaire-Poulenc) Le dromadaire… Le chèvre de Thibet… La souterelle… Le dauphin… L’ecrevisse… La carpe April 1928 (WLX328) D15041 with Francis Poulenc, piano
10. Les fées (Gauthier-Villars; Pierre de Bréville) ca. March 1929 (WLX964) D15187  with Pierre de Bréville, piano
11. L’invitation au voyage (Baudelaire-Duparc) ca. May 1928 (WLX363) D15041  with Francis Poulenc, piano
12. L’Orestie D’Eschyle, II, Op. 24 Les Coëphores Exhortation et conclusion (Claudel, after Aeschylus-Milhaud) September, 1929 (W52013) D15243
13. Ma poupée chérie (D. De Sévérac-Joseph de Sévérac) ca. July 1930 (WM 35) LF60
14. Pelléas et Mélisande Voici ce qu’il écrit (Maeterlinck-Debussy) March 1927 (WLX265266) D 15026 with Armand Narçon, bass
15. Quatre poèmes, Op. 82 L’invocation (H. de Régnier-Roussel) ca. December 1928 (WLX658) D15187  with Albert Roussel, piano
16. Trois ballades de Villon, no. 2 Ballade que Villon feit à la requeste de sa mère (Villon-Debussy) publ. 1936 (YL91) 32045
17. Une jeune fille parle (Moréas-Pierre de Bréville) ca. November 1928 (WL1334) D13085  with Pierre de Bréville, piano