Description

HENRI LEGAY (PARIS, FRANCE, JULY 1, 1920 – PARIS, FRANCE, SEPTEMBER 16, 1992)

He initially pursued an education as an orchestra musician, later transitioning to performing as a singer in cabarets, where he accompanied himself and other artists on the guitar. Until 1947, he studied singing at the Conservatoire National de Paris and made his debut as an operetta singer at the Théâtre Alhambra in Paris, appearing in various operetta productions. In 1950, he made his operatic debut as Faust at the Opéra de Lausanne. During the 1950-1951 season, he was engaged by the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. He then performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where he debuted in 1952 as Gérald in Lakmé. The same year, he made his debut at the Paris Grand Opéra as Damon in Rameau’s Les Indes galantes.

At the Grand Opéra, he appeared in roles such as Alfredo in La Traviata, Belmonte in Entführung aus dem Serail, and Faust. He was especially acclaimed in Brussels, where he enjoyed significant success. Remarkably, in 1979, he continued to sing with great success at the Opera of Ghent. His repertoire included roles such as Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Des Grieux in Manon, Wilhelm Meister in Mignon, Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Armand in Cherubini’s Les deux journées, Henry Smith in Bizet’s La jolie fille de Perth, the Duke in Rigoletto, George Brown in Boieldieu’s La Dame blanche, and the title role in Reyer’s Sigurd. Later in his career, he also worked as a director.

Chronology of some appearances

1950 Opéra de Lausanne

1950-1951 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

1952 Paris Opéra-Comique Lakmé

1952 Paris Grand Opéra Les Indes galantes

1979 Ghent Opera

TRACKLIST

1. Marche des boucaniers
2. Rien n’existe sans toi
3. Chanson de mon amour
4. Mon amour reviens
5. Manon (Massenet) Le Rêve Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra-Comique, André Cluytens
6. Lakmé (Delibes) Ah! viens dans la forêt
7. Werther (Massenet) O Natura Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
8. La Dame Blanche (Boieldieu) Viens, gentille dame Georges Tzipine Orchestra
9. La Basoche (Messager) Je suis aimé de la plus belle Orchestre Colonne
10. Rigoletto (Verdi) Questa o quella Orchestre Du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris, Pierre Dervaux
11. Rigoletto (Verdi) La donna e mobile Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
12. Le Roi D’ys (Lalo) Vainement, ma bien-aimée Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
13. Faust (Gounod) Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre!… Salut, demeure Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
14. Mârouf (Rabaud) À travers le désert Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
15. Mârouf (Rabaud) Il Est des musulmans dans la ville du caire Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
16. Martha (Flotow) À mes yeux Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
17. Le Postillon de Longjumeau (Adam) Assis au pied d’un hêtre Georges Tzipine Orchestra
18. Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Bizet) Je crois entendre encore Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra-Comique, André Cluytens
19. La Jolie Fille De Perth (Bizet) Partout des cris de joie Sérénade Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris
20. Mignon (Thomas) Adieu, Mignon, Courage! Orchestre du Théâtre National de L’opéra de Paris