Description

DAVID ETIENNE JOSEPH DEVRIÈS (BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON, FRANCE, 14 FEBRUARY, 1882 – 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

 

 

La capucine (Henrion) 4791 Pathé, Paris 1907

La Dame Blanche (Boildieu) Viens gentille dame 188.795 Ki 3988-1 Odeon, Paris 1928-04-26

La Marseillaise (de l’Isle) (w. Belhomme, Dangès & Nansen) 0808 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911

Lakmé (Delibes) Ah, viens dans la forêt 0072 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1904/1905

Lakmé (Delibes) Fantaisie aux divin mensonge 123.715 XXP 7125 Odeon, Paris 1930-09-16

Lakmé (Delibes) Prendre le dessin d’un bijou 0044 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1904/1905

Le chant du départ (Méhul) (w. Belhomme, Dangès & Nansen) 0803 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911

Le régiment de Sambre-et-Meuse (Planquette)(w. Belhomme, de Poumayrac & Dangès) 0840 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911

Le Roi d’Ys (Lalo) Vainement ma bien aimee 70021 C-8788 Victor, 1910-04-04

Les allobroges (Desaix) (w. Belhomme, de Poumayrac & Dangès) 0858 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911

Les ânes du Caire (Nerini) 188.596 Ki1763 Odeon, Paris 1928-07-05

Les montagnards (Roland) (w. Belhomme, A Gilly & Dangès) 0770 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911

Les Pecheurs de Perles (Bizet) Je crois entendre encore 123.729  XXP 7155-1 Odeon, Paris 1930-10-27

Les roses d’Ispahan, Op.39 No.4  (Fauré) 123.553 XXP 6673-2 Odeon, Paris 1928-05-23

L’estudiantina (Lacôme) (w. Belhomme, Dangès & Nansen) 0806 Pathé, Paris 1910/1911