Maurice Blondel

Blondel first studied the violin, then singing with Jean Planel at the Troyes conservatory.

After the war, he became a member of the Marcel Couraud vocal ensemble. From 1948, he starts his career in the French provinces as first tenor singing Almaviva, Faust, Wilhelm Meister, Gérald, Nadir, Cavaradossi, Alfredo, Pinkerton, ...

Thanks to Mado Robin, his partner during performances of Lakmé and Rigoletto, he was asked by Pathé Marconi to record highlights from Rigoletto with her.

Thanks to that, Georges Hirsch, the director of the Paris Opéra hired him.

He sang at the Opéra from 1950 to 1964 and appeared in Faust (from 30 March 1959) and Rigoletto (from 1961).

In parallel, he continued a career in the French provinces, toured central America, sang in Mauritius, at the Liceu in Barcelona, and in North Africa.

He retired from the stage in 1964 while still giving recitals. He also taught singing.
Reference: Nouveau dictionnaire des chanteurs de l'Opéra de Paris by Jean Gourret, Editions de l'Albatros 1989

Discography

RIGOLETTO (highlights in French) 1958
with Michel Dens (Rigoletto), Mado Robin (Gilda), Xavier Depraz (Sparafucile), Solange Michel (Madeleine et Joanna), 
Louis Noguéra (Monterone), Pierre Germain (Un officier), Jean-Christophe Benoît (Borsa)
Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, direction: Pierre Dervaux
33 T Plaisir musical Pathé DTX 30.173 {1 LP} (1959); EMI 2C 061 12128 {1LP}

Reissued on CD by Malibran-Music: CD Mado Robin Rigoletto MR740