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. Sigurd (Reyer) J’ai garde mon ame 4-32295 16962u Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-27
2. Sigurd (Reyer) Un souvenir poignant 4-32321 17469?v Gramophone, Paris 1912-10-30
3. Ton coeur est un oiseau (Arezzo) 4-32526 BS615-1 Gramophone, Paris 1922-12-06
4. Tosca (Puccini) Le ciel luisait d’etoiles 4-32270 16932?u Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-04
5. Tosca (Puccini) Le ciel luisait d’etoiles 0271 Pathé, Paris 19191920
6. Tosca (Puccini) O de beautes egales 4-32250 16536u Gramophone, Paris 1911-07-08
7. Tosca (Puccini) O douces mains 4-32290 16995u Gramophone, Paris 1911-12-05
8. Tre giorni son che Nina (Resta, attr Pergolesi) (It) 4-32618 BL138-1 Gramophone, Paris 1924-11-27
9. Walkure (Wagner) O glaive promis de mon pere (Ein Schwert) 032443, CE308-1 Gramophone, Paris 1922-02-28
10. Werther (Massenet) Clair de lune, pt 1 (w. Perelli) 034286 W737 HMV, Paris 1926-03-03 (ac)
11. Werther (Massenet) Clair de lune, pt 2 (w. Perelli) Gramophone 034287 CD4102 Gramophone, Paris 1926-03-03
12. Werther (Massenet) J’aurais sur ma poitrine (Invocation a la nature) 0271 Pathé, Paris 1919/1920
13. Werther (Massenet) J’aurais sur ma poitrine 4-32279 16936u Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-08
14. Werther (Massenet) Je ne sais si je veille (Invocation) 4-32500 BE216-1 Gramophone, Paris 1922-02-01
15. Werther (Massenet) La mort de Werther 4-32293 16949u Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-14
16. Werther (Massenet) Lorsque l’enfant revient 4-32302 17202u Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-13
17. Faust (Gounod) Salut, ô mon dernier matin (w. chorus) 032217, 02162v Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-30
18. Mignon (Thomas) Adieu, Mignon 032228 02254v Gramophone, Paris 1911-12-14
19. Noël (Adam) 032403, 03388v Gramophone, Paris 1920-10-18
20. Werther (Massenet) O Nature 032257 02502v Gramophone, Paris 1912-09-02