René Verdière

26 July 1899 Tournehem-sur-la-Hem – 6 May 1981 Paris

René Verdière singsDie Walküre: Plus d'hiver
In RA format

René Verdière singsOtello: Par le ciel, with Arthur Endrèze

René Verdière sings La Juive: Dieu, que ma voix tremblante
In RA format

In 1917, he volunteered for the French army. After the war, he studied voice in Calais and at the conservatory in Paris, where he made his debut as Max at the Opéra on October 29th, 1926. At the Opéra and, from 1930, also at the Opéra-Comique, he stayed for his entire career, until 1954. Guest appearances at Covent Garden (1936), Brussels, regularly in Monte Carlo and throughout the French provinces. He had to fight also WWII for five full years from 1940 to 1945.

His focus was on Wagner, but he also sang baroque opera (Les Indes galantes by Rameau), Grigorij, Radames, Don José, Werther, Cavaradossi or Samson.

Reference 1: Kutsch & Riemens, reference 2: Klaus-Ulrich Spiegel, reference 3

Discography
Pathé, Paris, June 1927
200762 Tannhäuser (Wagner): Retour de Rome pt. 1				0628, X 0628
200763 Tannhäuser (Wagner): Retour de Rome pt. 2				0628, X 0628

Odeon, Paris, 21 May 1929
xxP 6895    Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns): Arrêtez, ô mes frères		123012

Odeon, Paris, 4 July 1929
xxP 69219   Sigurd (Reyer): Esprits gardiens					123012

Odeon, Paris, 26 July 1929
xxP 6935    Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): L'aube vermeille		123016

Odeon, Paris, 29 July 1929
Oki 2587    Die Walküre (Wagner): Plus d'hiver					188034
Oki 2588-1  L'Africaine (Meyerbeer): Ô paradis					unpublished
Oki 2588-2  L'Africaine (Meyerbeer): Ô paradis					188033
Oki 2589-1  L'Africaine (Meyerbeer): Conduisez-moi vers ce navire		unpublished
Oki 2589-2  L'Africaine (Meyerbeer): Conduisez-moi vers ce navire		188033

Odeon, Paris, 27 September 1929
xxP 6942    Hérodiade (Massenet): Ne pouvant réprimer				123016
Oki 2640    La Juive (Halévy): Dieu, que ma voix tremblante			188034

Odeon, Paris, 30 November 1929
xxP 6958-1  Lohengrin (Wagner): Récit du Graal					123020
xxP 6958-2  Lohengrin (Wagner): Récit du Graal					unpublished
xxP 6959-1  Siegfried (Wagner): Chant de la forge				unpublished
xxP 6959-2  Siegfried (Wagner): Chant de la forge				123020

Odeon, Paris, 18 December 1929
xxP 6978    Tannhäuser (Wagner): Retour de Rome pt. 1				123024
xxP 6979    Tannhäuser (Wagner): Retour de Rome pt. 2				123024

Odeon, Paris, 21 January 1930
xxP 7008    Aida (Verdi): Ô céleste Aïda					123025
Oki 2886    Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Asile héréditaire				188041

Odeon, Paris, 4 February 1930
xxP 7022    Die Walküre (Wagner): Ô glaive promis par mon pére			123683
xxP 7023    Die Walküre (Wagner): Siegmund suis-je (w. Lubin)			123683

Odeon, Paris, 15 February 1930
xxP 7043    Aida (Verdi): Duo de la prison (w. Tessandra) pt. 1			123027
xxP 7044    Aida (Verdi): Duo de la prison (w. Tessandra) pt. 2			123027

Odeon, Paris, 13 March 1930
Oki 3154-2  Il trovatore (Verdi): Miserere, pitié (w. G. Martinelli) pt. 1	188043
Oki 3155-2  Il trovatore (Verdi): Miserere, pitié (w. G. Martinelli) pt. 2	188043

Odeon, Paris, 9 April 1930
xxP 7057    Tannhäuser (Wagner): Hymne à Venus					123025
Oki 3229    Otello (Verdi): Tout m'abandonne					188044

Odeon, Paris, 11 June 1930
Oki 3387    Der Freischütz (Weber): Frais vallons, bois pt.1			188062
Oki 3388    Der Freischütz (Weber): Frais vallons, bois pt.2			188062

Odeon, Paris, 11 December 1930
Oki 3942    Sigurd (Reyer): Un souvenir poignant				188044

Odeon, Paris, 14 January 1931
xxP 7225    Parsifal (Wagner): Une arme seule est sure				123034
xxP 7226    Lohengrin (Wagner): Mon cygne aimé					123034

Odeon, Paris, 11 March 1931
xxP 7257-1  L'attaque du moulin (Bruneau): Le jour tombe			123035
xxP 7257-2  L'attaque du moulin (Bruneau): Le jour tombe			unpublished
xxP 7258    Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns): Vois ma misère, hélas		123035

Odeon, Paris, 15 May 1931
xxP 7280    Otello (Verdi): Par le ciel (w. Endrèze)				123788
Oki 4430    Werther (Massenet): Pourquoi me réveiller				188079
Oki 4431    Werther (Massenet): Un autre est son époux				188670
Oki 4431-2  Werther (Massenet): Un autre est son époux				188079

Radio recording, 1958
Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns): act 2 with Solange Michel and Charles Cambon
Orchestre Radio Lyrique, conductor: Jules Gressier
Discography source: Gesellschaft für historische Tonträger, Wien
I would like to thank Thomas Silverbörg for the recordings (Otello, Juive).

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