Description

JEAN BAPTISTE GEORGES IMBART DE LA TOUR (PARIS, 1865 – PARIS, 1911)

He studied at the Paris Coservatoire with St. Yves Bax. In 1889 he won the song competition of the Paris Conservatoire. His stage debut occurred in 1890 in Geneva as Raoul in ‘’Gli Ugonotti’’ of Meyerbeer. In 1893 he joined the Opéra-Comique in Paris; here he appeared as Don  José in ‘’Carmen’’ and as Gérald in ‘’Lakmé’’ of Delibes. In 1895 he was engaged by the opera house of Marseille. From 1897 he was a principal tenor of the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels where he appeared in ‘’Tannhäuser’’, ‘’Lohengrin’’,  ‘’Aida’’, ‘’Roméo et Juliette’’, ‘’Samson et Dalila’’ and ‘’Hérodiade’’. In this theatre he also sang on 12. 3. 1897 in the premiere of the opera ‘’Fervaal’’ of D’Indy and on 18. 1. 1900 in  ‘’Tijl Ulenspiegel’’ of Jan Blockx. In 1899 he guested again at the Opéra-Comique. In 1900 he sang at Covent Garden  in ‘’Aida’’, ‘’Carmen’’, and ‘’Tannhäuser’’. In the 1900-01 season he was engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. But appeared there, however, only as Radames in ‘’Aida’’ and in two Sunday Night Concerts. Then he continued his career in France (Marseilles 1906, Lyons 1907). Since 1908 he taught at the Paris Conservatoire.

Chronology of some appearances

1890 Geneva Opera House Gli Ugonotti (Raoul)

1893 Paris Opéra-Comique Carmen (Don Jose)

1900 New York Metropolitan Opera Aida (Radames)

1900 Los Angeles, California Hazard’s Pavilion Romeo et Juliette (Romeo)

1900 San Francisco, California Aida (Radames)

1900 Kansas City, Missouri Convention Hall Gli Ugonotti (Raoul)

1900 Minneapolis, Minnesota Tannhauser (Tannhauser)

TRACKLIST

1. Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Plus blanche 4585 Pathé, Paris 1906/1907
2. Iphigenie en Tauride (Gluck): Air de Pylade 0273 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903?
3. Lohengrin (Wagner): Recit du Graal 4581 Pathé, Paris 1906/1907
4. Manon (Massenet): Ah fuyez, douce image 0269 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
5. Muette de Portici (Auber): Cavatine du sommeil 0277 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903?
6. Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Couplets de Walther 0272 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903
7. Sigurd (Reyer): Esprits gardiens 4586 Pathé, Paris 1906/1907
8. Tannhauser (Tannhauser): Hymne a Venus 0273 Pathé cylinders & discs, Paris 1903?
9. Walküre (Wagner): Chanson du printemps 4580 Pathé, Paris 1906/1907