Vonna is completely forgotten today since he left no recordings, but at his time, he was quite a name in southern France,
singing with prominent partners, and being associated with the Marseille opera for many years at a time when it was still a
great house, with an extremely demanding (and hence dreaded) audience.
Selected performances:
16 November 1940, Lyon, Opéra: Faust with Maria Branèze, Pierre Savignol, Marcel Roque, conductor: Camille
Boucoiran
15 and 18 January 1942, Cannes, Casino: Fidelio with Geori Boué, Raymond Tindel, Adrien Legros, Monda Million,
Georges Alvès, Joseph Peyron, conductor: Reynaldo Hahn
27 January 1943, Monte Carlo, Opéra: Faust with Mireille Sabatier, Mario Franzini, Michel Dens, Jacques Nevers, Lucy
Orsoni, René Landi
24 and 28 February 1943, Monte Carlo, Opéra: La bohème with Odette Gayrford, Thérèse Deniset,
Marzo, Étienne Billot, Mario Franzini, conductor: Aldo Bonifanti (rave review in "Journal de Monaco": "As far as
Rodolfo and Mimì it seems impossible to impersonate them with greater intelligence and charm; in the case of Lucien
Vonna's Rodolfo, the acting so varied and so rich, and the voice constantly so warm and generous...")
21 March 1943, Monte Carlo, Opéra: Carmen with Ninon Vallin, Mario Franzini, René Landi, Thérèse Deniset,
Max Paban, Lucy Orsoni, Albert Mainard, Emma Marini, Gilles Charpentier, Léon Guerini, M. Franquelin, conductor:
Paul Paray
24 and 28 March 1943, Monte Carlo, Opéra: Tosca with Léonide Olivier-Sportello, Raymond Tindel, René Landi,
Marc Sylvani, M. Franquelin, Louis Barone, Louis Graglia, Emma Marini
Throughout WWII, regular guest appearances in opera in St-Étienne
1948/49, guest appearances at the opera in Algiers
18 March 1951, Marseille, Opéra: Faust with Lyne Cumia, André Mezamat, Lucien Guirand, Colette Muzart, Marcel
Balmat, Isabelle Andréani, conductor: Pierre Cruchon
Vonna also sang on the French radio.
Reference 1: Journal de Monaco, 25 March 1943; reference 2;
reference 3; reference 4; reference 5; reference 6: Blandine Devun, La vie culturelle à
Saint-Étienne pendant la deuxième guerre mondial, Saint-Étienne 2005; reference 7
Many thanks to Claude-Pascal Perna for his help.
