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. Manon (Massenet) Le rêve 0080 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1904/1905
2. Mignon (Thomas) Adieu, Mignon, courage 4593 Pathé, Paris 1907
3. Mignon (Thomas) Elle ne croyait pas 4596 Pathé, Paris 1907
4. Paganini (Lehár) J’ai toujours cru qu’un baiser 123.729 XXP7154 Odeon, Paris 1930-10-27
5. Pêcheurs de perles (Bizet) Je crois entendre encore 123.729 XXP7155 Odeon, Paris 1930-10-27
6. Requiem (Fauré) Pie Jesu 188.792 Ki3888 Odeon, Paris 1930-11-25
7. Rigoletto (Verdi) Comme la plume au vent 188.751 Ki 3611-2 Odeon, Paris 1930-09-16
8. Roi d’Ys (Lalo) Vainement, ma bien aimée (Aubade) 188-505 Ki1081 Odeon, Paris 1927-01/02
9. Sapho (Massenet) Qu’il est loin mon pays 171.034 XXP6488 Odeon, Paris 1927-05
10. Si tu m’aimais (Denza) 4472 Pathé, Paris 1907
11. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Choeur des pèlerins (w. Danges, Belhomme & Nansen) Pathé 0775 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911
12. Tosca (Puccini) Le ciel luisait d’etoiles 188.774 Ki 3735 -1 Odeon, Paris 1930-10-27
13. Traviata (Verdi) Non, non, loin d’elle 0082 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1904/1905
14. Un peu d’ tout (Bernon) (w. Belhomme, Dangès & de Poumayrac) 0847 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911
15. Werther (Massenet) Alors c’est bien ici… O Nature pleine de gràce 123.715 XXP 7132 Odeon, Paris 1930-10-20
16. Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me reveiller 188.770 Ki 3717-3 Odeon, Paris 1930-10-20
17. Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me réveiller 4588 Pathé, Paris 1907
18. Werther (Massenet) Un autre est son époux 4598 Pathé, Paris 1907
19. Werther (Massenet) Un autre est son epoux… J’aurais sur ma poitrine 188.770 Ki 3721 Odeon, Paris 1930-10-20