Description

PAUL FRANZ (PARIS, FRANCE, 30 NOVEMBER, 1876 – PARIS, FRANCE, 20 APRIL, 1950)

 

 

 

 

His real name was François Gauthier. Initially a railroad employee, he later pursued singing studies at the Conservatoire in Paris and perfected his vocal technique privately under Louis Delaquerrière. In 1908, he won a competition for amateur singers, which caught the attention of the director of the Grand Opéra in Paris. His debut that same year as Lohengrin in Nantes was a resounding success, leading to his long-standing engagement with the Grand Opéra, where he remained an esteemed member until 1938.

At the Grand Opéra, Gauthier participated in several significant premieres, including:

1914: Parsifal (Richard Wagner)

1920: La Légende de Saint Christophe (Vincent d’Indy)

1921: Antar (Gabriel Dupont)

1921: Les Troyens (Hector Berlioz)

1923: Padmâvati (Albert Roussel)

In 1922, he had a notable success at the Grand Opéra as Walther von Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. That same year, he made a guest appearance at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and in 1923, he sang in the premiere of Raoul Gunsbourg’s Lysistrata there. He also made appearances in Brussels.

From 1910 to 1914, he sang with great success at Covent Garden, London, where his repertoire included roles such as Samson in Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, Radamès in Aida, Raoul in Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, Don José in Carmen, and Julien in Charpentier’s Louise. Siegfried Wagner had intended for him to perform at the Bayreuth Festival in 1915, but these plans were thwarted by the outbreak of World War I.

In 1910, Gauthier also performed at La Scala in Milan, and in 1918, he sang at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. He made guest appearances at the Opera in Antwerp as well.

Following his retirement from the stage, he was appointed a professor at the Conservatoire National de Paris. He was also active as a composer, writing the ballet L’Orchestre en liberté, and he translated German song texts by Schubert and Schumann.

 

Chronology of some appearances

 

1909-1938 Paris Grand Opéra

1910 Milano La Scala

1910-1914 London Covent Garden

1918 Buenos Aires Teatro Colón

1922-1923 Monte-Carlo Opéra

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Siegfried (Wagner) Chant de la forge 0266, 0822, Pathé, Paris 1919 – 1920
2. Siegfried (Wagner) Chant de la forge LF45 WL2345 Columbia, Paris 1930 – 1932
3. Siegfried (Wagner) Chant du glaive 4-32353 2739ah Gramophone, Paris 1913-09-19
4. Siegfried (Wagner) Chant du glaive 4-32353x 18622½u Gramophone, Paris 1914-01-10
5. 44. Siegfried (Wagner) Murmures de la foret, pt 1, pt 2 7235, 7235 Pathé, Paris 1930 – 1931
6. Sigurd (Reyer) Esprits gardiens 032245 02378v Gramophone, Paris 1912-04-29
7. Sigurd (Reyer) Le bruit des chants LFX56 WLX642 Columbia, Paris 1930 – 1932
8. Sigurd (Reyer) Le bruit des chants X90048 N250251 Pathé, Paris 1933
9. Sigurd (Reyer) Un souvenir poignant 4-32306 17200u Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-13
10. Soleil de France (Busser) 0287 Pathé, Paris 1919 – 1920
11. Tannhauser (Wagner) Recit de Rome, pt 1, pt 2 2-032014 02954v, 2-032015  02955v Gramophone, Paris 1914-04-22
12. Tannhauser (Wagner) Retour de Rome, pt 1, pt 2 7237, 7237, 250126, 250127 Pathé, Paris 1930 – 1931
13. Tristan und Isolde (Wagner) Où Tristan va se rendre 0286 Pathé, Paris 1919 – 1920
14. Walkure (Wagner) Chanson du printemps 4-32352x 18623u Gramophone, Paris 1914-01-10