Description

LEON CAMPAGNOLA (MARSEILLE, FRANCE, 8 FEBRUARY, 1875 – MARSEILLE, FRANCE, 10 JANUARY, 1955)

 

 

 

 

He studied at the Marseille Conservatory, initially as a baritone, and later retrained as a tenor in Paris under the pedagogue Manoury. He made his debut in 1903 in Versailles as Vincent in Gounod’s Mireille. During the 1904-05 season, he appeared in Belgium, performing in Mons, Ghent, and Antwerp (notably as Jean in Massenet’s Hérodiade). In 1906, he sang at the Grand Théâtre of Geneva as Danielo in Xavier Leroux’s La reine Fiammette. From 1908 onward, he performed at various French opera houses, including Toulouse, Tours, Nîmes, and Toulon. In 1910, he made his debut at the Grand Opéra in Paris as Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.

At the Grand Opéra, he also appeared in Rigoletto, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and I gioielli della Madonna by E. Wolf-Ferrari (in its 1913 French premiere), as well as Armel in E. Chabrier’s Gwendoline. While performing at the Grand Opéra, he continued to make guest appearances at major theaters in the French provinces and abroad, although he likely never performed at the Opéra-Comique. In 1913, he made guest appearances in Chicago and Boston, and in Washington, he performed Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca opposite Mary Garden as Tosca.

After the outbreak of World War I, he resumed his career at various French opera houses, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Toulouse, as well as at the Grand Opéra. In 1916, he appeared in concert at La Scala in Milan. Following the war, he continued performing in France and, toward the end of his career, became a vocal pedagogue and painter.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1913 Chicago Civic Opera House Boheme (Rodolfo)

1913 Chicago Civic Opera House Tosca (Cavaradossi)

1913 Philadelphia Teatro Metropolitan Boheme (Rodolfo)

1913 Baltimora Opera Tosca (Cavaradossi)

1913 Washington Opera Tosca (Cavaradossi)

1918 ‘S-Gravenhage Koninklijke Schouwburg Boheme (Rodolfo)

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Manon (Massenet) Ah, fuyez, douce image 4-32245 16569u Gramophone, Paris 1911-07-12
2. Manon (Massenet) J’ecris a mon pere (w. Cesar) 34290 16929?u Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-03
3. Manon (Massenet) Le reve 4-32244 16868?u Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-03
4. Manon (Massenet) Non, votre liberte (w. Cesar) 55086 Victor, USA 1911-11-02
5. 47. Manon (Massenet) Toi! Vous!… N’est-ce plus ma main (w. Cesar) 034120, 034111, 02164v, 02165v, Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-31
6. Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Ah, ne m’approchez pas 4-32292 17004u Gramophone, Paris 1911-12-11
7. Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Ange, sirene ou femme 4-32296 16996u Gramophone, Paris 1911-12-05
8. Manon Lescaut (Puccini) O Manon 4-32303 17203u Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-13
9. Martha (Flotow) Air des larmes 4-32278 16919u Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-26
10. Mignon (Thomas) Elle ne croyait pas 032216 02159v Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-27
11. Mireille (Gounod) Anges du paradis 032232 02195v Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-13
12. Navarraise (Massenet) O ma bien-aimee 4-32358 18604u Gramophone, Paris 1914-01-03
13. Ninon (Tosti) 4-32603 BP253-1 Gramophone, Paris 1924-06-21
14. O Magali (Mistral-Seguin) 032251 2481v Gramophone, Paris 1912-06-26
15. Otello (Verdi) La mort d’Otello 4-32351 2786ah Gramophone, Paris 1913-10-04
16. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Avec moi tenter ce jeu 4-32316 17310u Gramophone, Paris 1912-09-11
17. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Me grimer 032197 01972v Gramophone, Paris 1911-07-07
18. Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Non! Paillasse n’est plus 032248 02380v Gramophone, Paris 1912-04-30
19. Pastorale languedocienne (le Poutou) 4-32565 BS933-5 Gramophone, Paris 1923-06-06