André Balbon was a French bass opera singer, born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, on 4 June 1902 and dead in
Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...
(
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
), on 30 March 1984. He was principally active in France in character roles.
Life and career
In 1924 he appeared in ''Les Burgraves'' by Léo Sachs at the
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in Paris. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while th ...
, before working in the French provinces for several years.
Balbon made his debut at the Paris
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...
on 1 November 1928 as un Officier in ''Lorenzaccio'' by Moret. From then until the 1940s he was a regular member of the Opéra-Comique company with an extensive repertoire. He sang in the Paris premieres of ''Bourgeois de Falaise'' by Thiriet (Sottencourt), ''Comme ils s'aiment'' by Lavagne (Lustrac), ''Esther de Carpentras'' by Milhaud (Cacan), ''Fou de la Dame'' by Delannoy (Cavalier noir), ''Frasquita'' by Lehar (Aristide), ''Georges Dandin'' by d’Ollone (Sottenville), ''Nuit Embaumée'' by Hirschmann (Ali), ''Mon Oncle Benjamin'' by Bousquet (Pontcassé), ''Rayon de Soieries'' by Rosenthal (Monsieur Loyal), ''Riquet à la Houppe'' by Hue (Marquis de Carabas), ''le Roi d'Yvetot'' by Ibert (Renaud), ''le Testament de Tante Caroline'' by Roussel (Maître Corbeau), ''Tout Ank Amon'' by Pérez (Hapousend), ''Vieux Garçons'' by Urgel (von Petersboom), and ''Zadig'' by Duperrier (Arimage).
He also appeared in ''Angélique'' (le Nègre), ''le Barbier de Séville'' (Basilio), ''la Bohème'' (Colline) ''le Bon roi Dagobert'' (Éloi), ''
les Brigands
''Les brigands'' (''The Bandits'') is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Meilhac and Halévy's libretto lampoons both serious drama (Schiller's play ''The Robbers'') an ...
Gianni Schicchi
() is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''. The work is the third and final part of Puccin ...
Philémon et Baucis
(''Philemon and Baucis'') is an opera in three acts by Charles Gounod with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The opera is based on the tale of Baucis and Philemon as told by La Fontaine (derived in turn from Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' ...
'' (Vulcain), ''le Roi malgré lui'' (Villequier), ''la Rôtisserie de la Reine Pédauque'' (d'Astarac), ''
le Roi d'Ys
' (''The King of Ys'') is an opera in three acts and five tableaux by the French composer Édouard Lalo, to a libretto by Édouard Blau, based on the old Breton legend of the drowned city of Ys. That city was, according to the legend, the capita ...
'' (le Roi), ''Tosca'' (Angelotti), ''la Traviata'' (Docteur), and ''Werther'' (Bruhlmann).
In 1933 Balbon created the title role in Marc Berthomieu's opérette ''Robert Macaire'', at the Grand Théâtre in
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
.
For two seasons, from 1953 to 1955, Balbon sang at the
Théâtre de la Monnaie
The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (french: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, italic=no, ; nl, Koninklijke Muntschouwburg, italic=no; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National O ...
, Brussels, appearing as Calchas (''
La Belle Hélène
''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy, Helen's elopement with Paris (myt ...
''), Pomarel (''La Chaste Suzanne'' by
Jean Gilbert
Jean Gilbert (11 February 1879 – 20 December 1942), born Max Winterfeld, was a German operetta composer and conductor.
Life and career
Gilbert was born in Hamburg into a family of musicians; his ancestors were cantors of the Jewish communi ...
), Gaspard (''Les Cloches de Corneville'') and the Baron de Gondremark (''La Vie parisienne'').
In 1934 he appeared as Popoff in the Meilhac version of ''Die lustige Witwe'' “La Veuve Joyeuse” at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Lyrique in Paris and returned to the role in Geneva in February 1954 in a
Grand Théâtre de Genève
Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland.
As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, official ...
production starring
Jacques Jansen
Jacques Jansen (né Toupin; born Paris, 22 November 1913 – 13 March 2002) was a French ''baryton-martin'' singer, particularly associated with the role of Pelléas in the opera by Debussy, but also active in operetta and on the concert platfor ...
as Danilo.
Balbon participated in ''Feu d'artifice'' by Erik Charell and Jurg Amstein with music by Paul Burkhard starring
Suzy Delair
Suzy Delair (born Suzette Pierrette Delaire; December 31, 1917 – March 15, 2020) was a French actress, dancer, singer, comedian and star of vaudeville.
Early years
Growing up in Montmartre, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered ...
at the
Théâtre Marigny
The Théâtre Marigny is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement.
It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier for the display of a panoram ...
in 1952. He sang Robinet in the premiere of the comédie lyrique ''Colombe'' by
Jean-Michel Damase
Jean-Michel Damase (27 January 1928 – 21 April 2013) was a French pianist, conductor and composer of classical music.
Career
Damase was born in Bordeaux, the son of harpist Micheline Kahn. He was studying with Marcel Samuel-Rousseau at the a ...
and
Jean Anouilh
Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an ad ...
Roger Désormière
Roger Désormière () (13 September 1898 – 25 October 1963) was a French conductor. He was an enthusiastic champion of contemporary composers, but also conducted performances of early eighteenth century French music.
Life and career
Désormièr ...
, 1941
* ''Là-Haut'' (Saint Pierre) conducted by Jacques-Henri Rys (1953)
* ''Madame Favart'' (Major Cortignac) conducted by
Marcel Cariven
Marcel Auguste Antoine Cariven, (18 April 1894, Toulouse – 5 November 1979, Crosne near Paris)Jules Gressier (1957, French Radio)
* ''Gilette de Narbonne'' (Le Roi René) conducted by Pierre Tellier (1957, French Radio)
* ''Le voyage en Chine'' (Pompéry) conducted by Marcel Cariven (1958, French Radio)
* ''
Geneviève de Brabant
''Geneviève de Brabant'' is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1859. The plot is based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant.
For the 1867 version two additional characters, men-at-arms, w ...
'' (Vanderprout) conducted by Marcel Cariven (1956, French Radio)
His recordings on 78s of songs and individual excerpts from the stage include « C’est toute une histoire » from ''Le bon Roi Dagobert'', the Song of the Flea from ''
La Damnation de Faust
''La damnation de Faust'' (English: ''The Damnation of Faust''), Op. 24 is a work for four solo voices, full seven-part chorus, large children's chorus and orchestra by the French composer Hector Berlioz. He called it a "''légende dramatique'' ...
'', « Tristes amours » and « Je la vois » from ''Galathée'', « Vallons de l’Helvétie » from ''Le Chalet'', the stances of Nilakhanta from ''Lakmé'', Basilio's calumny aria from ''Le Barbier de Séville'', Ralph΄s « Quand la flamme de l’amour » from ''La jolie fille de Perth'', « Je comprends que la belle » from ''Le Caïd'', and airs from operas by Bazin, Flotow, Gounod, Lecocq, Massenet, Meyerbeer and Varnay.