Louis Noguéra was a French bass-baritone (born in

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

on 12 October 1910, died in Paris on 8 March 1984

Kutsch, K. J. Karl-Josef Kutsch, also known as K. J. Kutsch, (born 11 May 1924) is a German physician and co-author with Leo Riemens of the ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', the standard reference for opera singers. Life and work Born in Gangelt, Kutsch studied me ...

and

Riemens, Leo Leonardus Antony Marinus Riemens (3 December 1910 – 3 April 1985) was a Dutch musicologist and cultural journalist. He wrote a book about Maria Callas, and together with Karl-Josef Kutsch began a reference book about opera singers in 1962, which ...

(2003). ''

Großes Sängerlexikon ''Großes Sängerlexikon'' (''Biographical Dictionary of Singers'', literally: Large singers' lexicon) is a single-field dictionary of singers in classical music, edited by Karl-Josef Kutsch and Leo Riemens and first published in 1987. The first ...

'' (fourth edition, in German). Munich: K. G. Saur, . .) who enjoyed a long career in Paris—principally at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

and

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 ...

but also elsewhere in France and abroad, and who left some recordings representative of his repertoire.

Life and career

Born Louis Claver, his career commenced in 1935, as a knight in ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival'' ...

'', at the Opéra.L'Art Lyrique website
accessed 15 December 2015. During his career at the Palais Garnier, Noguéra went on to sing roles such as Wagner and Valentin in ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

'', the pilot in ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. It was compose ...

'', the Nightwatchman and Beckmesser in '' Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg'', Apollo in '' Alceste'' (Gluck), Torello in ''

Monna Vanna ''Monna Vanna'' (russian: Монна Ванна) is an unfinished opera by Sergei Rachmaninoff after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck. Rachmaninoff had completed Act I in short vocal score, with piano accompaniment, and then he went to ask for permis ...

'', several parts in

Mârouf, savetier du Caire ''Mârouf, savetier du Caire'' (''Marouf, Cobbler of Cairo'') is an '' opéra comique'' by the French composer Henri Rabaud. The libretto, by Lucien Nepoty, is based on a tale from the '' Arabian Nights''. ''Mârouf'' was first performed at the ...

, Phorbas in '' Œdipe'', Alberich in ''

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), WWV 86A, is the first of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National ...

'', the Grand Prêtre de Moloch in ''

Salammbô ''Salammbô'' (1862) is a historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt (241–237 BCE). Flaubert's principal source was Book I of the '' Histories'', written by the Greek his ...

'', the title role in ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

'', Faninal in ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...

'', Masetto and Leporello in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'', Papageno in ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inclu ...

'', Iago in ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

'', and Ali in ''

Les Indes galantes (French: "The Amorous Indies") is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau with a libretto by Louis Fuzelier. It takes the form of an ''opéra-ballet'' with a prologue and (in its final form) four ''entrées'' (acts). Following an allegorical prologue, th ...

''. His debut at the Opéra-Comique came in 1945 with Escamillo in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'', and he took part in the premiere of Busser's ''Carosse du Saint Sacrement'', and continued at the Salle Favart for over 20 years where his other roles included Guglielmo in ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

'', Lescaut in ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...

'', Ourrias in ''

Mireille Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name ''Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam'' ...

'' and the title role in ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

''.Wolff S. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900–1950).'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953, p312. In 1949 he appeared as Shylock in a revival of Reynaldo Hahn's '' Le marchand de Venise'' alongside

Denise Duval Denise Duval (23 October 192125 January 2016) was a French soprano, best known for her performances in the works of Francis Poulenc on stage and in recital. During an international career, Duval created the roles of Thérèse in ''Les mamelles de T ...

Jean Giraudeau Jean Giraudeau (1 July 1916, in Toulon – 7 February 1995), was an artist and French tenor,Obituary: Jean Giraudeau. ''Opera (British magazine), Opera'', June 1995, Vol.46, No.6, p671. and later theatre director, particularly associated with th ...

, Louis Froumenty, and Huc-Santana, conducted by D.-E. Inghelbrecht. In ''La Basoche'' at

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

in 1954, he sang with

Nadine Renaux Nadine Renaux (13 July 1912, Villeurbanne – 22 January 2005) was a French soprano, active in opera and operetta in FranceGourret J. ''Dictionnaire des Cantatrices de l'Opéra.'' Editions Albatros, Paris, 1987, p179. from the 1930s to the 1960s. ...

and

Pierre Mollet Pierre Mollet (23 March 1920, Neuchâtel - 27 October 2007) was a Canadian operatic baritone. He was born in Switzerland. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1974 and in 1979, he married the Canadian pianist Suzanne Blondin. Mollet was ...

, conducted by Albert Wolff. In December 1965 he was the producer of the premiere performances of ''La Princesse de Clèves'' by

Jean Françaix Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassicism (music), neoclassical composer, piano, pianist, and orchestration, orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. ...

at Rouen's Théâtre des Arts (libretto by the composer and Marc Lanjean); Genevieve Marcaux and Marcel Huylbrock played the lovers, with

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 the discreet husband, conducted by

Pierre-Michel Le Conte Pierre-Michel Le Conte (6 March 1921 – 16 October 2000) was a French Conducting, conductor. Biography Born in Rouen, at age 5 Le Conte entered the . Then he began piano and violin studies at the École normale de musique de Paris. He finishe ...

.Wolff, Stéphane. France in 23 Scenes. ''

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

'', March 1966, p230. Outside France he sang at Covent Garden in London in 1937, and in Belgium and Italy. He was professor of singing at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1955 to 1979.

Recordings

Noguéra participated in recordings of baroque motets by N Bernier, M-A Charpentier, and C-H Gervais conducted by Louis Martini for Pathé in 1957. He sang Nourabad in the complete studio recording of ''

Les Pêcheurs de Perles ' (''The Pearl Fishers'') is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was premiered on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in ...

'' in 1954 with Opéra-Comique forces under

André Cluytens André Cluytens (, ; born Augustin Zulma Alphonse Cluytens; 26 March 19053 June 1967)Baeck E. ''André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre.'' Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009. was a Belgian-born French conductor who was active in the con ...

, and as Yorloff in excerpts from the same composer's ''

Ivan IV Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...

'' in 1957 under

Georges Tzipine Georges Samuel Tzipine (22 June 1907 – 8 December 1987) was a French violinist, conductor and composer. He was of Russian-Jewish origin.L'Enfance du Christ ''L'enfance du Christ'' (''The Childhood of Christ''), Opus 25, is an oratorio by the French composer Hector Berlioz, based on the Holy Family's flight into Egypt (see Gospel of Matthew 2:13). Berlioz wrote his own words for the piece. Most of it ...

'' in 1950 for Pathé, and the Fauré Requiem, op. 48, in 1950 for Columbia. In a recording of extended highlights from ''

La Périchole ''La Périchole'' () is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French libretto based on the 1829 one act play '' Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement'' by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived on ...

'' under

Igor Markevich Igor Borisovich Markevitch (russian: Игорь Борисович Маркевич, ''Igor Borisovich Markevich'', uk, Ігор Борисович Маркевич, ''Ihor Borysovych Markevych''; 27 July 1912 – 7 March 1983) was a Russian- ...

in 1958 he sang Don Andrès.Discographical data from The CHARM Discography, Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music, , accessed 8 October 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noguera, Louis 1910 births 1984 deaths 20th-century French male opera singers Migrants from French Algeria to France