Description

MARCELLE DEMOUGEOT (DIJON, 18 JUNE, 1876 – PARIS, 24 NOVEMBER, 1931)

Her real name was Jeanne Marguerite Marcelle Decorne. She studied singing under Charles Laurent in Dijon and at the Conservatoire de Paris with Hettich. In Paris, she also trained under Mangin, Warot, and Giraudet. She made her debut in 1902 at the Paris Grand Opéra as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.

In 1904, she performed in the premiere of Camille Erlanger’s Le fils de l’étoile, and two years later, she sang in Massenet’s Ariane. In 1911, she created the title role in the world premiere of Saint-Saëns’ Déjanire at Monte Carlo. At the Grand Opéra, she appeared in notable premieres, such as Fricka in Wagner’s Das Rheingold in 1909 and Kundry in Parsifal in 1914. She also sang in the 1921 production of Die Walküre with great success and performed Brünnhilde in the Ring cycle in Strasbourg in 1930.

Between 1907 and 1909, she performed at various provincial theaters and later appeared in Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Vichy. Celebrated as the most significant French Wagnerian soprano of her generation, her repertoire extended beyond Wagner to roles such as Aida, Valentine in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, Mathilde in Rossini’s William Tell, Cyria in Massenet’s Angela, and Marguerite in Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust.

TRACKLIST

1. Ariana (Massenet) Arie der Ariana Beka 8431
2. Ave Maria (Gounod) Beka 8434
3. Ave Maria (Gounod) Favorite 1-6003 1410-f
4. Ave Maria (Gounod) Zonophone X-83149
5. Cid (Massenet) Pleurez mes yeux Zonophone X-83148
6. Faust (Gounod) Anges purs (w. Affre & Nivette) Odeon 60895 XP4267
7. Favorite (Donizetti) Ah, va dans une autre patrie with Muratore G&T 34161 5835o
8. Favorite (Donizetti) O mon Fernand Zonophone X-83126
9. Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Sombre forêt Favorite 1-6029 1412-f
10. Hérodiade (Massenet) Air de Salomé Zonophone X-83142
11. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Tu l’as dit (w. Affre) G&T 34036
12. O Salutaris (Thomas) (w. Nivette) Odeon 97065 XP4366
13. Robert le diable (Meyerbeer) Robert, toi que j’aime Zonophone X-83127
14. Sérénade (Braga) Zonophone X-83150
15. Trovatore (Verdi) Brise d’amour G&T 33490 3744F