Xavier Depraz, ''né'' Xavier Marcel Delaruelle (22 April 1926 – 18 October 1994) was a French opera singer and actor.

Life

Born in

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

( Somme), Depraz was a bass 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 ...

until 1971. He took part in the premieres of operas by

Marcel Landowski Marcel François Paul Landowski (18 February 1915 – 23 December 1999) was a French composer, biographer and arts administrator. Biography Born at Pont-l'Abbé, Finistère, Brittany, he was the son of French sculptor Paul Landowski and gre ...

and

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

. He also appeared as an actor, first on television, where he played the role of Ursus in ''The Man who laughs'' by , then on the big screen.

Career

Depraz entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

in 1947 where he attended the classes of

Fernand Francell Fernand Francell (9 November 1879 – 18 February 1966, in Paris) was a French tenor and later actor and vocal teacher who was particularly associated with the Opéra-Comique.Louis Musy for the stage and

René Simon René Simon (1898 in Troyes – 1971) was a French actor and founder in 1925 of the Cours Simon drama school in Paris. Notable alumni of Cours Simon include Benoît Petitjean and Jean Reno Jean Reno () (born 30 July 1948), is a French acto ...

for theatre. Alain Pâris. ''Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interpretation musicale au XX siècle.''

Éditions Robert Laffont Éditions Robert Laffont is a book publishing company in France founded in 1941 by Robert Laffont. Its publications are distributed in almost all francophone countries, but mainly in France, Canada and in Belgium. It is considered one of the most ...

, Paris, 1995 (p351). He participated in the premieres of several operas:

's ''Le Rire de Nils Halerius'' (1951) and ''Le Fou'', Poulenc's ''

Dialogues des Carmélites ' (''Dialogues of the Carmelites''), FP 159, is an opera in three acts, divided into twelve scenes with linking orchestral interludes, with music and libretto by Francis Poulenc, completed in 1956. The composer's second opera, Poulenc wrote the ...

'' and, in concert version, Prokofiev's '' The Fiery Angel'' (1954). In the 1953 Paris premiere of ''

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

'' at the Opéra-Comique Depraz was "a splendid Nick Shadow". He also sang in Bartók's ''

Bluebeard's Castle ''Duke Bluebeard's Castle'' ( hu, A kékszakállú herceg vára, link=no, or ''The Blue-Bearded Duke's Castle'') is a one-act expressionist opera by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. The libretto was written by Béla Balázs, a poet and friend of t ...

'', Verdi's ''

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 co ...

'', Mozart's '' Don Giovanni'', Massenet's ''

Don Quichotte ''Don Quichotte'' (''Don Quixote'') is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn. It was first performed on 19 February 1910 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Massenet's ''comédie-héroïque'', like many dramatiz ...

'' and ''

Thaïs Thaïs or Thais ( el, Θαΐς; flourished 4th century BC) was a famous Greek ''hetaira'' who accompanied Alexander the Great on his campaigns. Likely from Athens, she is most famous for instigating the burning of Persepolis. At the time, Thaï ...

'' among others. For his appearance as Méphistophélès in Monte Carlo in 1959 one reviewer commented "Xavier Depraz, immensely tall, and surprisingly thin and angular for an operatic bass, produced a suitably resonant and cavernous voice, and histrionically was satisfyingly demonic". He also appeared at the French provincial opera houses,

Glyndebourne Glyndebourne () is an English country house, the site of an opera house that, since 1934, has been the venue for the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The house, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England, is thought to be about six hun ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, and was appointed a professor of opera at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1973. In 1971, he began a career as an actor in film and television. His recordings include '' Une éducation manquée'' (Pausanias), '' Les Pêcheurs de perles'' (Nourabad), ''

Romeo et Juliette Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

'' (Frère Laurence), '' Carmen'' (Zuniga for Beecham and Haitink), '' Renard'', ''

'' (Le Marquis de la Force) and the Duruflé Requiem.WorldCat results for Xavier Depraz
accessed 9 March 2019 Depraz died in

Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs (; literally 'Saint-Étienne of Saint-Geoirs') is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is the hometown of Rose Valland, who saved thousands of works of art from Nazi looting and destructi ...

( Isère) on 18 October 1994.

Discography

*1953: Pausanias in Chabrier's '' Une Éducation manquée'' conducted by Charles Bruck (Le Chant du Monde) *1953: Nourabad in Bizet's '' Les Pêcheurs de perles'' conducted by

Jean Fournet Jean Fournet (14 April 1913 – 3 November 2008) was a French flautist and conductor. Fournet was born in Rouen in 1913. His father was a flutist who gave him some instruction on the flute and music theory. Fournet was then trained at the Con ...

(Philips) *1954: Basile in excerpts from ''

Le Barbier de Séville ''The Barber of Seville or the Useless Precaution'' (french: Le Barbier de Séville ou la Précaution inutile) is a French play by Pierre Beaumarchais, with original music by Antoine-Laurent Baudron. It was initially conceived as an opéra comi ...

'' with the Opéra-Comique company under Jules Gressier (Pathé) *1954: Ruprecht in Prokofiev's '' L'Ange de Feu'' with the Paris Opera under Charles Bruck (Vega) *1958: Marquis de la Force in Poulenc's ''

'' conducted by

Pierre Dervaux Pierre Dervaux (born 3 January 1917 in Juvisy-sur-Orge, France; died 20 February 1992 in Marseilles, France) was a French operatic conductor, composer, and pedagogue. At the Conservatoire de Paris, he studied counterpoint and harmony with Marcel ...

(Angel) *1958: Zuniga in '' Carmen'' under

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Roya ...

(HMV) *1967: Mephistopheles in excerpts from ''

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 crossroa ...

'' under Jésus Etcheverry (Vogue) *1968: Frère Laurence in '' Roméo et Juliette'' under

Alain Lombard Alain Lombard (born 4 October 1940, Paris) is a French conductor. Career Lombard attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where his studied violin with Line Talleul and conducting with Gaston Poulet. He subsequently secured an appointment at the ...

(EMI)

Filmography

Cinema

*1972: ''Le Droit d'aimer'' (by

Éric Le Hung Éric Le Hung (born 29 September 1937 in Haiphong) is a Vietnamese-French film director. His works include Moi, fleur bleue Moi, fleur bleue is a 1977 French film directed by Éric Le Hung. The film is sometimes known in English as "Stop Ca ...

) *1973: '' L'Emmerdeur'' (by Édouard Molinaro) – Louis Randoni *1973: ''

I Don't Know Much, But I'll Say Everything ''I Don't Know Much, But I'll Say Everything'' (french: Je sais rien, mais je dirai tout) is a 1973 French comedy film directed by Pierre Richard. Plot Pierre Gastié-Leroy (Pierre Richard) is the son of a wealthy director of a factory of weapon ...

'' (by

Pierre Richard Pierre Richard (born Pierre-Richard Maurice Charles Léopold Defays; 16 August 1934) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, best known for the roles of a clumsy daydreamer in comedy films. Pierre Richard is considered by many, such as ...

) – General Deglane *1974: ''

Black Thursday Black Thursday is a term used to refer to typically negative, notable events that have occurred on a Thursday. It has been used in the following cases: *6 February 1851, bushfires in Victoria, Australia. *18 September 1873, during the Panic of ...

'' ''(Les Guichets du Louvre)'' (by

Michel Mitrani Michel Mitrani (1930 - 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was the founder of the Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels in 1987. His 1974 film '' Les Guichets du Louvre'' was entered into the 24th Berlin International F ...

) *1975: '' Cher Victor'' (by

Robin Davis Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: ** European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin ** Forest ...

) *1976: ''

Dracula and Son ''Dracula and Son'' (french: Dracula père et fils) is a 1976 French comedy horror film directed and written by Édouard Molinaro. The film is about a vampire father and son. Christopher Lee reprises his role as Count Dracula from the Hammer Fi ...

'' ''(Dracula père et fils)'' (by Édouard Molinaro) – Le majordome *1976: '' Le Gang'' (by

Jacques Deray Jacques Deray (born Jacques Desrayaud; 19 February 1929 – 9 August 2003) was a French film director and screenwriter. Deray is prominently known for directing many crime and thriller films. Biography Born Jacques Desrayaud in Lyon, France, in ...

) – Jo *1977: ''

Death of a Corrupt Man ''Death of a Corrupt Man'' (french: Mort d'un pourri), also known as ''The Twisted Detective'' and ''To Kill a Rat'', is a 1977 French political thriller directed by Georges Lautner and starring Alain Delon. The film is based on the novel by R ...

'' ''(Mort d'un pourri)'' (by

Georges Lautner Georges Lautner (; 24 January 1926 – 22 November 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter, known primarily for his comedies created in collaboration with screenwriter Michel Audiard. Lautner's ventures into other genres were less ...

) – Marcel *1978: ''

Butterfly on the Shoulder ''Butterfly on the Shoulder'' (or Un papillon sur l'épaule) is a French drama, thriller film directed by Jacques Deray. Plot When he stops in Barcelona (Catalonia) with his wife for a week, Roland Fériaud discovered in his hotel a man in agony ...

'' ''(Un papillon sur l'épaule)'' (by Jacques Deray) – Miguel Carrabo *1978: ''

The Brontë Sisters ''The Brontë Sisters'' (French: Les Sœurs Brontë) is a 1979 French drama film directed by André Téchiné and written by Téchiné with the collaboration of Pascal Bonitzer and Jean Gruault. The film stars Isabelle Adjani, Marie-France Pisi ...

'' (by André Téchiné) – Monsieur Hager *1981: '' For a Cop's Hide'' (''Pour la peau d'un flic'') (by Alain Delon) – Kasper *1985: ''Carmen'' with Glyndebourne Opera conducted by

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lon ...

– Zuniga.

Television

*1968: ''

Le Bourgeois gentilhomme ''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (, translated as ''The Bourgeois Gentleman'', ''The Middle-Class Aristocrat'', or ''The Would-Be Noble'') is a five-act ''comédie-ballet'' – a play intermingled with music, dance and singing – written by Molière ...

'' (TV Movie, by Pierre Badel) – le Grand Turc *1970: ''L'élixir du R.P. Gaucher'' (by Pierre Badel) – le prieur à la voix de ténor *1971: '' L'Homme qui rit'' (by Jean Kerchbron) – Ursus *1972: '' Mauprat'' (by Jacques Trébouta) – Marcasse / Narcisse *1972: ''The Accursed Kings'' (by

Claude Barma Claude Barma (3 November 1918, in Nice – 30 August 1992, in Paris), was a French director and screenwriter, and an early creator of French television programmes. Biography After studying electrical engineering, he entered television in 1946 with ...

) – Jacques de Molay *1973: ''

Vogue la galère ''Vogue la galère'' is a 1973 French film directed by Raymond Rouleau. It is based on the play ''Vogue la galère'' by Marcel Aymé Cast * Claude Dauphin - Le capitaine * Robert Hossein - Simon * Henry Czarniak - Hardouin * Gérard Lartigau ...

'' (TV Movie, by

Raymond Rouleau Raymond Rouleau (4 June 1904 – 11 December 1981) was a Belgian actor and film director. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1928 and 1979. He also directed 22 films between 1932 and 1981. Rouleau studied at the Royal Conservatory of B ...

) – Comité *1974: ''Beau-François'' (by Roger Kahane) – Pingre #9 *1982: ''Le Voyageur imprudent'' (by

Pierre Tchernia Pierre Tcherniakowski (29 January 1928 – 8 October 2016), better known as Pierre Tchernia, was a French cinema and television producer, screenwriter, presenter, animator and actor. In France he was known as ''"Magic" Tchernia'' and ''Monsieur Ci ...

) – Méphisto *1984: ''Les Enquêtes du commissaire Maigret'' (Episode: "Maigret à Vichy", by

Alain Levent Alain Levent (15 September 1934 – 28 August 2008) was a French cinematographer and film director. He worked on 80 films between 1960 and 2007. His 1972 film '' The Bar at the Crossing'' was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film F ...

) – Le commissaire Lecoeur *1991: ''Marie Curie, une femme honorable'' (by Michel Boisrond) – Anatole France (final appearance)

Cartoons

*1978: ''

La Ballade des Dalton ''La Ballade des Dalton'' (aka ''The Ballad of the Daltons'' in English) is a 1978 French animated film written and directed by René Goscinny, Morris, Henri Gruel and Pierre Watrin starring the comic book character Lucky Luke. Two different ...

'' (by

René Goscinny René Goscinny (, ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''Astérix'' comic book series with illustrator Albert Uderzo. Raised largely in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he attended French schoo ...

and

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

) – The cowboy who dodges the train (voice)

Theatre

* 1974: ''Les Aventures de Tom Jones'' by Jean Marsan and after

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

, directed by

René Clermont René Clermont (14 November 1921 – 24 October 1994) was a French stage and film actor as well as a playwright. Theatre Comedian *1933: ''Trois pour 100'' by Roger Ferdinand, directed by Gabriel Signoret, Théâtre Antoine as Barbouin * ...

Théâtre de Paris The Théâtre de Paris is a theatre located at 15, rue Blanche in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It includes a second smaller venue, the Petit Théâtre de Paris. History The first theatre on the site was built by the Duke of Richelieu in 1730. ...

References

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

Xavier Depraz – Eugène Onéguine
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Depraz, Xavier 1926 births 1994 deaths People from Albert, Somme 20th-century French male actors French basses Conservatoire de Paris alumni Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris 20th-century French male opera singers