Description

CÉSAR VEZZANI (BASTIA, CORSICA, 8 AUGUST, 1888 – MARSEILLE, 11 NOVEMBER, 1951)

 

 

 

 

He was born in Bastia, Corsica, and arrived in Paris in 1908. At first, he could barely read or write and spoke very little French. His voice was discovered by the soprano Agnès Borgo (1879-1958), who became his first teacher and later sent him to the Conservatoire National de Paris. The two married in 1913.

He made his debut in 1912 at the Opéra-Comique, performing in Grétry’s Richard Cœur de Lion. The couple was invited to sing in Boston and Chicago, but the outbreak of World War I forced them to cancel these engagements. After a disagreement with the management of the Opéra-Comique, his career was largely confined to performing at operas in Nice, Marseille, Toulon, Toulouse, and Brussels, and he never returned to Paris.

During World War II, he lived in exile and performed at the opera in Algiers, where he was highly admired. In 1947, he signed a three-year contract with La Monnaie in Brussels. However, during a rehearsal in Toulon, he suffered a stroke that left him completely paralyzed. He passed away in 1951.

Vezzani was a dramatic tenor of great brilliance, known for his ringing top notes and vibrant vitality in his singing. He was particularly admired in roles such as Otello (in excellent French—a rare skill today), and his renditions of Di quella pira from Il Trovatore, Reyer’s Sigurd, and Corentin in Dinorah showcase him at his finest.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Hérodiade (Massenet) Quand nos jours (w. Guyla) DB4907 2PG309-I Gramophone, Paris, 22 November 1932

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Ah! Quel spectacle… Plus blanche W1087 52-652 Gramophone, Paris 1930-04-02

Il trovatore (Verdi) Supplice infâme 4-32843 BN346-I Gramophone, Paris, 28 February 1929

Jerusalem (Lombardi) (Verdi) Je veux entendre encore U67 4-32552 Gramophone, Paris 1923-06-08

Jocelyn (Godard) Cachés dans cet asile 111885 xP6424-2 Odéon, Paris, 1914

Juive (Halevy) Dieu, que ma voix tremblant W846 032847 Gramophone, Paris 1927-04-12

Juive (Halevy) Dieu, que ma voix tremblante P660 4-32715 Gramophone, Paris 1924-07-10

Juive (Halevy) Rachel, quand du Seigneur W846 032846 Gramophone, Paris 1927-04-12

La bohème (Puccini) Que cette main est froide 111884 xP6423 Odéon, Paris, 1914

La Juive (Halévy) L’ai-je bien entendu… Ah j’implore (w. Payan) 111879, 111880, xP6427, xP6428 Odéon, Paris, 1914

La Juive (Halévy) Rachel, quand du Seigneur 032439 CT827-I Gramophone, Paris, 8 July 1924

La Navarraise (Massenet) Ô bien-aimée 111900 xP6406 Odéon, Paris, 1914

La Navarraise (Massenet) O bien-aimee, pourquoi n’es-tu pas lа P634 4-32681 Gramophone, Paris 1925-02-23

La reine de Saba (Gounod) Faiblesse de la race humaine… Inspirez-moi 4-32541, 4-32542, BS659-IV, BS660-IV Gramophone, Paris, 27 February 1923

La reine de Saba (Gounod) Faiblesse de la race humaine… Inspirez-moi P832, P832, BN344-I, BN345-II, Gramophone, Paris, 28 February 1929