Description

MAURICE OGER

 

 

 

Originally a painter, he enjoyed a good reputation as an animal painter. He studied singing with René Lambert in Paris. He made his operatic debut at London’s Covent Garden in 1919, when he replaced the indisposed André Gilly as Gonzalve in a performance of Ravel’s L’Heure espagnole. He also sang a small role there in Charpentier’s Louise.

In 1920, he appeared at the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona, followed by engagements at the opera houses of Monte Carlo and Cairo. In 1921, he made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris as Démétrios in Camille Erlanger’s Aphrodite. Following guest appearances in the French provinces, he returned to the Opéra-Comique in 1924, where he remained for another ten years.

He later expanded his repertoire to include heroic roles and sang Tristan in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at the Opéra-Comique in 1930. On 15 January 1930, he took part at the Opéra-Comique in the world premiere of Jacques Ibert’s Le Roi d’Yvetot. He subsequently worked as a singing teacher in Paris.

He made several recordings for Vocalion in London in 1919.

 

 

JEAN OBEIN

 

 

 

Jean Obein was a comprimario at the Paris Opéra from 1919, making his debut there on 21 May as the Grand Prêtre de Melkarth in Salammbô. Prior to that, references to him are extremely scarce. In March 1912, he took part in two operatic concerts at the Théâtre du Jardin d’Acclimatation in Paris. In October of the same year, he was successful as Józsi in Lehár’s Zigeunerliebe (Amour tzigane) at the Trianon-Lyrique.

Curiously, the Théâtre Français in Bordeaux announced his debut as Werther twice in 1919: first in March, when his name was misspelled as “Jean Obeyn,” and again in June as Jean Obein, by which time he was already described as being “de l’Opéra.” Apart from these appearances, the only other reference I have found is to his participation in an operatic concert organized by a private music-lovers’ association in Lisieux in February 1929.

 

 

LOUIS ORLIAC

 

 

 

Louis Orliac was a French tenor from Toulouse who enjoyed a brief but promising career in the music hall during the early 1930s. He first came to public attention in late November 1931, when he took part in the Concours d’Honneur in Pau, a competition open to opera singers, folk singers, comedians, and choirs. He was among the prize winners and proved especially popular with the large audience.

Although he occasionally appeared in operatic concerts, Orliac was primarily a music-hall tenor. He performed at the Empire in Paris as early as 1932 and subsequently appeared at the Alcazar in Marseille, where he was engaged each June from 1935 to 1937. He was promoted enthusiastically as “le nouveau Caruso” (“the new Caruso”) and “le Caruso du music-hall” (“the Caruso of the music hall”).

In January 1933, Orliac made a small number of recordings in Paris. These were very favorably received by the press. Contemporary sources indicate that he recorded a third disc containing songs, although no copy of this record appears to have survived or been located.

Orliac also took part in several operatic concerts, including three appearances in Bayonne: in July 1932 and in May and September 1933, two of which were charity events. In July 1934, he appeared at the Fêtes de Toulouse, a music festival organized by Radio-Toulouse.

After his engagements at the Alcazar in Marseille in June 1937, no further references to Louis Orliac have been found. His career therefore appears to have been relatively short, but contemporary reports suggest that he was a well-received and popular tenor whose voice and stage presence earned him comparisons with Caruso.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

Maurice Oger Faust (Gounod) Salut, ô mon dernier matin! C01007F, J04101 Vocalion, London

Maurice Oger Plaisir d’amour (Martini) 523 CM251 Consortium, Paris, 1933 or 1934

Maurice Oger Reine de Saba (Gounod) Inspirez-moi, race divine C01009F 02103 Vocalion, London

Maurice Oger Sérénade (Schubert) 523 CM252 Consortium, Paris, 1933 or 1934

Jean Obein Sigurd (Reyer) Esprits gardiens 0511 200133 Pathé, Paris 1925

Louis Orliac Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Asile héréditaire 249003 KI 5827-1 Odeon, Paris 1933

Louis Orliac La Juive (Halevy) Dieu que ma voix tremblante 249002 KI 5829-1 Odeon, Paris 1933

Louis Orliac Maître Pathelin (Bazin) Je pense à vous quand je ‘éveille 249003 KI 5828-1 Odeon, Paris 1933

Louis Orliac Rigoletto (Verdi) Comme la plume au vent 249002 KI 5826-1 Odeon, Paris 1933