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

 

 

Parsifal (Wagner) Hagards nes yeux 032303 02883v Gramophone, Paris 1914-01-10

Parsifal (Wagner) Hagards, mes yeux voient 7238 Pathé, Paris 1930 – 1931

Parsifal (Wagner) Une arme seule 032302 02884v Gramophone, Paris 1914-01-10

Parsifal (Wagner) Une arme seule est sûre 7238 250098 Pathé, Paris 1930 – 1931

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Ah, lève-toi, soleil 032244 02377v Gramophone, Paris 1912-04-29

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Salut, tombeau 0265, 0804 Pathé, Paris 1919 – 1920

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) Salut, tombeau 032227 02198v Gramophone, Paris 1911-11-14

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Arrêtez, ô mes frères 4-32274 16920u Gramophone, Paris 1911-10-27

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Scène de la meule, pt 1 (w. chorus) X90043 N250242 Pathé, Paris 1933

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Scène de la meule, pt 1 0259 1954 Pathé, Paris 1919 – 1920

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Scène de la meule, pt 2 (w. chorus) X90043 N250243 Pathé, Paris 1933

Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns) Scène de la meule, pt 2 0259 1959 Pathé, Paris 1919 – 1920

Siegfried (Wagner) Chant de la forge 0266, 0822, Pathé, Paris 1919 – 1920

Siegfried (Wagner) Chant de la forge LF45 WL2345 Columbia, Paris 1930 – 1932