Description

ÉTIENNE GIBERT (JONQUIERES, NEAR ORANGE, 3 DECEMBER, 1859 – PARIS, FRANCE 1929)

He was a pupil of Crosti and Obin at the Paris Conservatory and probably made his debut in 1887 at the Rouen Opera House as Fernando in La Favorita by G. Donizetti. After a few appearances in the French provinces, he made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1889, where he performed the role of Chevalier Roland in J. Massenet’s Esclarmonde on May 15, 1889. He remained at the Opéra-Comique until 1892 before moving to the Grand Opéra in 1893. At the Grand Opéra, he mostly sang heavy tenor roles, starting with Vasco in G. Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine. He continued his career at the Grand Opéra for five years, also performing as Lohengrin and Tannhäuser.

In 1895, he performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in Mefistofele by A. Boito and Armida by Gluck. He later guest-starred in Bordeaux, Nice, Lyons, and Toulouse. During the 1901-02 season, he was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he performed in Roméo et Juliette and Faust.

In Paris, he created two significant roles: Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Opéra-Comique in 1892, and Tristan in Tristan und Isolde at the Théâtre Nouveau in 1899. In 1909, he appeared at the Théâtre Trianon-Lyrique in the title role of A. Grétry’s Richard Coeur-de-Lion.

Chronology of some appearances

1887 Rouen Opera House

1889-1892 Paris Opéra-Comique

1893 Paris Grand Opéra

1895 Monte Carlo Opera House

TRACKLIST

1. Dimitri (Joncieres) Invocation 17587 Edison 2-min cylinders, Paris 19051906
2. Hérodiade (Massenet) Air de Jean 1095 Aérophone, Paris, about April 1911
3. O sole mio (di Capua) 7222 f45 Beka, Paris, November 1906
4. O sole mio (di Capua) 1-5222 1585-f Favorite, Paris, August 1905
5. Prophète (Meyerbeer) Pour Bertha moi je soupire 1069 Aérophone, Paris, about April 1911
6. Roi d’Ys (Lalo) Aubade Aérophone 1094 Aérophone, Paris, about April 1911
7. Sigurd (Reyer) Esprits gardiens 7221 f44 Beka, Paris, November 1906