Description

DAVID DEVRIÈS (BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON, FRANCE, 14 FEBRUARY, 1881- NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE, 17 JULY, 1936)

He made his debut in 1904 at the Théâtre Montparnasse as Gérald in Lakmé, but the main part of his career was devoted to the Opéra-Comique, where he sang roles such as Almaviva, Don José, Armand in Massenet’s Thérèse, Alfredo, Jean in Massenet’s Sapho, Clément in Messager’s La Basoche, Vincent in Mireille, Wilhelm in Mignon, Des Grieux, Werther, Julien, Pinkerton, Cavaradossi, and many others. In 1909, he took part in the revival of Boieldieu’s La Dame Blanche and remained a paradigmatic Georges Brown. That same year, he went to New York, invited by Oscar Hammerstein, to sing at the Manhattan Theatre, where he performed various roles, including Ange Pitou in Lecocq’s La Fille de Madame Angot and Sylvain in Maillart’s Les Dragons de Villars.

More importantly, during this time, he sang the role of Pelléas in Debussy’s masterwork for the first time in his career. Still in America, alongside Mary Garden, he performed as Araquil in La Navarraise and Alain in Grisélidis. Interestingly, Garden had taken over the title role in Massenet’s Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame, originally composed for a tenor. However, when she was traveling, Devries also sang this role, giving local audiences the opportunity to hear the part in both soprano and tenor versions.

Later, he sang Pelléas at Covent Garden and Nicias (from Thaïs) in Monte Carlo. In Nice, he created the role of Paco in the world premiere of Falla’s La Vida Breve. He also performed as a soloist in recitals and concerts, singing in St. Matthew Passion as well as in Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust.

TRACKLIST

1. Astarté (Leroux) Adieux d’Hercule 4592 Pathé, Paris 1907
2. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Des rayons de l’aurore (Ecco ridente) 188.524 Ki1200 Odeon, Paris 1927-04 (end)
3. Basoche (Messager) Quand tu connaîtras Colette 0046 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1904/1905
4. Bohème (Puccini) Eh bien! voilà, je suis poète 4473 Pathé, Paris 1907
5. Carmen (Bizet) La fleur 123.548 XXP6658 Odeon, Paris 1928-04-26
6. Chanson du pêcheur (Fauré) 188.792 Ki3889 Odeon, Paris 1930-11-25
7. Cimetière de campagne (Hahn) 188.596 Ki1762 Odeon, Paris 1928-07-05
8. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Choeur des étudiants (w. Henri Dangès, Nansen & Belhomme) Pathé 0788 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911
9. Dame Blanche (Boiëldieu) O moment plein de charmes 123.548 XXP6659 Odeon, Paris 1928-04-26
10. 11. Dame Blanche (Boiëldieu) Viens gentille dame… Déjà la nuit plus sombre 188.795 188.795 Ki3988 Ki3989 Odeon, Paris 1930-12-20
11. 13. Don Giovanni (Mozart) O mon trésor suprême, pt 1, pt 2 188.760 188.760 Ki3655 Ki3656 Odeon, Paris 1930-09-25
12. Faust (Gounod) Salut, demeure 4790 Pathé, Paris 1907
13. Faust (Gounod) Salut, demeure chaste et pure 123.552 XXP6671 Odeon, Paris 1928-05-22
14. Fille de Mme Angot (Lecocq) Choeur des conspirateurs (w. Dangès, Nansen & Belhomme) Pathé 776 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911
15. Fille de Mme Angot (Lecocq) Voyons, Monsieur, raisson nous politique (w. Lejeune) 70025 Victor, 1910-04-04
16. Fortunio (Messager) J’aimais la vieille maison grise 188.525 Ki1212 Odeon, Paris 1927-05
17. Fortunio (Messager) Si vous croyez que vais dire 188.525 Ki1211 Odeon, Paris 1927-05