Amelia Talexis et Augustarello Affre Aida Scène finale Odéon Brun 60562 enregisté en 1907
4Amelia Talexis et Augustarello Affre - Aida - Scène finale - Odéon Brun 60562 enregisté en 1907
“French soprano Amelia Talexis was born in Toulouse, France. At an early age, Talexis began studying piano and cello at the Toulouse Conservatory, and then studied singing under Jacques Roudil who had previously sung at the Paris Opera and then taught at the Toulouse Conservatory. One source claims that Talexis studied with Paul Lhérie who taught at the Paris Conservatory. Talexis might have studied privately with Lhérie, but there is no evidence that she attended the Conservatory or that she ever sang on any of the Paris stages. Her earliest engagement was most likely at the French Opera in New Orleans during the 1897–1898 season. It was there that Talexis probably met her future husband, Henri Berriel, who was the director and first baritone of the New Orleans company. During the 1898–1899 season, Talexis was the forte chanteuse falcon at Antwerp’s Théâtre Royal. Berriel was also engaged there as premiere baritone but was found unsatisfactory and his contract was cancelled. Talexis and Berriel both sang in Montreal during the 1899–1900 season and in the spring of 1900, Talexis sang 11 performances at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux: Salomé in ‘’Herodiade’’; Bertha in ‘’Le prophète’’; both Eudoxie and Rachel in ‘’La Juive’’; Chimène in ’’Le Cid’’. Talexis returned to New Orleans for the 1900–1901 season, where Berriel was again doubling as director and first baritone. On the New Orleans roster for that season, she was unaccountably listed as ‘’Mme Talexis de l’Opéra-Comique de Paris’’. At this point in her career, we seem to lose track of her, though she is said to have sung ‘’Aida’’ in Barcelona, as well as Donna Anna at La Scala, the Colón, and the Havana Opera. As evidenced by her recordings, her voice was powerful with a wide range and a secure technique, equally comfortable in French and Italian. She recorded for Fonotipia and Odeon including the Act 4 duet from ‘’Les Huguenots’’ with Léon Escalaïs, which unfortunately was never released. Talexis died tragically in a freak accident in the bathroom of a hotel in Calais on her way to London at 36 years of age.”
Source: Forgotten Opera Singers http://forgottenoperasingers.blogspot.com/2011/08/amelia-talexis-1875-1911.
Agustarello Affre (21 October 1858 - 27 December 1931) was a French operatic tenor. He possessed a powerful, firm and exceptionally beautiful voice which garnered him the nickname the "French Tamagno" in comparison to the great Italian tenor. He was one of the leading operatic tenors in Paris from 1890-1911. He spent the last years of his career singing and directing operas in the United States. After World War I, he lived in retirement in France.
Born Auguste Affre in Saint-Chinian, Affre was trained at the Conservatoire de Toulouse and the Conservatoire de Paris. He studied singing with Edmond Duvernoy and Pierre Gailhard. After singing in theatres in the French provinces, he made his debut in Paris at the Opéra in 1890 as Edgardo in Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor opposite Nellie Melba in the title role, who also made her debut. He remained a leading tenor at that opera house for the next 20 years, portraying such roles as Arnold Melchtal in William Tell, Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, Eléazar in La Juive, Fernand in La favorite, Jean de Leyde in Le prophète, Radames in Aida, Raoul de Nangis in Les Huguenots, Renaud in Gluck's Armide, Vasco da Gama in L'Africaine, and the title roles in Lohengrin and Sigurd.[1] He created the role of the Touranien prisoner in the world premiere of Jules Massenet's Le mage in 1891.
Outside of Paris, Affre appeared as a guest artist at the Opéra de Marseille, Opéra National de Lyon, and the Théâtre du Grand Cercle in Aix-les-Bains. In 1900 he performed at La Monnaie in Brussels. In 1909 he appeared at the Royal Opera House in London as Samson in Samson et Dalila and in the title role of Gounod's Faust. He recorded extensively for Pathé, including the roles of Don José in Georges Bizet's Carmen (1911) and Roméo in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette (1912) in the company's "Le Théâtre chez soi" ("Your Theater at Home") full-length opera and drama series. In 1911 he moved to the United States where he was heard in operas in New Orleans, San Francisco, and in Havana. He became director of the French Opera House in New Orleans in 1913 when it came under the ownership of Tulane University, remaining there until 1915. He died in Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1931 at the age of 73. He is buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.
Source : Wikipedia