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. Priere (Cremieux) 3172 Pathé, Paris 1919/1920
2. Quand l’oiseau chante (Tagliafico) 4-32310 17304u Gramophone, Paris 1912-09-03
3. Rigoletto (Verdi) Comme la plume au vent 4-32247 16534u Gramophone, Paris 1911-07-08
4. Rigoletto (Verdi) Questa o quella Victor 45118-B Victor, USA 1911-07-08
5. Roi d’Ys (Lalo) Aubade 4-32357 18606u Gramophone, Paris 1914-01-03
6. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Ah, leve-toi soleil 032209 02135v Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-19
7. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Console-toi, pauvre ame (w. Cesar) 034156 02527v Gramophone, Paris 1912-09-12
8. 70. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Nuit d’hymenee… Ah, tu dis vrai (w. Cesar) 034110, 034119, 02148v, 02149v Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-24
9. 72. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) O nuit divine… Ah, ne fuis pas encore (w. Cesar) 034139, 034108, 02150v, 02151?v Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-24
10. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Ou suis-je (w. Cesar) 034155 02528v Gramophone, Paris 1912-09-12
11. Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) Salut, tombeau 032252 02483v Gramophone, Paris 1912-06-26
12. Sapho (Massenet) Ah, qu’il est loin mon pays 032280 02575v Gramophone, Paris 1912-11-19
13. Serenade (Au clair de la lune) (Leoncavallo) 032234 02221?v Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-21
14. Serenade napolitaine (Leoncavallo) 4-32527 BS544-1 Gramophone, Paris 1922-11-09
15. Si j’etais roi (Adam) J’ignorais son nom 4-32308 17301u Gramophone, Paris 1912-09-03
16. Si j’etais roi (Adam) Un regard de ses yeux 4-32307 17300u Gramophone, Paris 1912-09-03
17. Si tu m’aimais (Denza) 3174 Pathé, Paris 1919/1920
18. Sigurd (Reyer) Esprits gardiens 032199 01974v Gramophone, Paris 1911-07-10