Alain Fondary (born 9 October 1932 in

Bagnolet Bagnolet () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. History On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occa ...

) is a French

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

Biography

Before embarking on his lyrical career, Alain Fondary followed the family tradition of glass blower, like his parents, in Paris,

Boulevard Voltaire The Boulevard Voltaire () is a well-known boulevard in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. It was created by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann during the reign of French emperor Napoleon III. Originally named the Boulevard du Prince-Eugène, it was ...

. He attended glass school and went to opera with his parents and José Luccioni, a friend of the family. Passionate about

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

, he nevertheless worked on singing at the age of thirty, first with

André Baugé André Gaston Baugé (4 January 1893, Toulouse - 25 May 1966, Clichy-la-Garenne) was a French baritone, active in opera and operetta, who also appeared in films in the 1930s.Steane JB. André Baugé. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macm ...

, then with Georges Jouatte and André Hauth, then with Yvonne Pons, Alice Monfort and Gaetano Abrani. He made his debut in Cherbourg in ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, 'Clowns') is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who mu ...

'' by Ruggero Leoncavallo, performing the role of Tonio in 1968 and the following year sang Ourrias in ''

Mireille Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name ''Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam'' " ...

'' by Charles Gounod in Toulouse. He created'' Les Boréades'' by Jean-Philippe Rameau, under the direction of

Gardiner Gardiner may refer to: Places Settlements ;Canada * Gardiner, Ontario ;United States * Gardiner, Maine * Gardiner, Montana * Gardiner (town), New York ** Gardiner (CDP), New York * Gardiner, Oregon * Gardiner, Washington * West Gardiner, ...

in London in 1980. His career accelerated in Bercy in 1984, when he replaced

Piero Cappuccilli Piero Cappuccilli (November 9, 1926 – July 12, 2005) was an Italian operatic baritone. Best known for his interpretations of Verdi roles, he was widely regarded as one of the finest Italian baritones of the second half of the 20th century. ...

in ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' by Verdi, where he played Amonasro; he was then offered the biggest stages. The following year he sang at the

Chorégies d'Orange The ''Chorégies d'Orange'' is a summer opera festival held each August in Orange located about 21 kilometres north of Avignon in southern France. Performances are presented in the ancient Roman theatre, the Théâtre Antique d'Orange, the orig ...

, at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

, and

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

. In 1987, he made his American debut in San Francisco in the role of Scarpia of ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' by Giacomo Puccini and the following year at the MET in ''

Cavalleria rusticana ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; ) is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 Cavalleria rusticana (short story), short story of the same name and subsequent ...

'' by Pietro Mascagni and ''Aida''; later operas in which he sang in New York included ''

La gioconda La Gioconda ( , ; "the joyful one" feminine_gender.html" ;"title="'feminine gender">f.'' may refer to: * ''Mona Lisa'' or ''La Gioconda'', a painting by Leonardo da Vinci * Lisa del Giocondo, the model depicted in da Vinci's painting * La Gioconda ...

Samson et Dalila ''Samson and Delilah'' (), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the (Grand Ducal) Theater (now the Staatskapelle Weimar) on 2 ...

, La fanciulla del west'' and ''

''. In Munich, he sang in ''

Les Contes d'Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...

''. In Paris, he sang in ''

Thaïs Thaïs (; ; ) was a Greek who accompanied Alexander the Great on his military campaigns. Likely from Athens, she is most famous for having instigated the burning of Persepolis, the capital city of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, after it was con ...

'' by Jules Massenet and ''

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 c ...

'' by Verdi. He appeared for the first time at the Easter festival of

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

in 1989 in ''

'' alongside

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

and under the direction of Karajan, and in ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' in Paris. The following year he was asked to play at the

Wiener Staatsoper The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

; in 1992 he played ''Falstaff'' in Buenos Aires. In March 2008, he played the role of Sultan Alaouddin in '' Padmâvatî'' by

Albert Roussel Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel (; 5 April 1869 – 23 August 1937) was a French composer. He spent seven years as a midshipman, turned to music as an adult, and became one of the most prominent French composers of the interwar period. His ...

, under the direction of

Lawrence Foster Lawrence Foster (born October 23, 1941) is an American conductor of Romanian ancestry. Early life Foster was born in Los Angeles, California, to Romanian parents. His father died when Foster was three years old. He was later adopted by his step ...

, at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

. His repertoire comprises more than thirty roles including ''Tosca'', ''La Gioconda'', ''Hérodiade'', ''Henry VIII'', ''Samson and Dalilah'', ''Thaïs'', ''

Jérusalem ''Jérusalem'' is a grand opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was to be an adaptation and partial translation of the composer's original 1843 Italian opera, '' I Lombardi alla prima crociata''. It was the one opera which he regarde ...

'', and the great verdian roles: Macbeth, Rigoletto, Don Carlos, Othello, Simon Boccanegra, ''Aida'', Nabucco, Falstaff as well as ''

'' and '' la Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein''. He has also premiered works by

Charles Chaynes Charles Augustin Chaynes (11 July 1925 – 24 June 2016) was a French composer. Biography Chaynes was born in Toulouse in 1925. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Darius Milhaud and Jean Rivier. In 1951 he won the Prix de Rome wi ...

, including ''Cecilia'' at Monte-Carlo in 2000, revived in Avignon in January 2005 and ''Mi amor'' in March 2007 in Metz.

Discography

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

, ''Roméo et Juliette'' - Alain Fondary: Capulet; Roberto Alagna, Romeo;

Angela Gheorghiu Angela Gheorghiu (; ; born 7 September 1965) is a Romanian soprano, especially known for her performances in the operas of Puccini and Verdi, widely recognised by critics and opera lovers as one of the greatest sopranos of all time. Embarking ...

, Juliette; Anne Constantin;

José van Dam Joseph, Baron Van Damme (born 25 August 1940 in Brussels), known as José van Dam, is a Belgian bass-baritone, described as having "a magnificent resonant and expressive voice" and being "an excellent actor". Life and career At the age of 17, h ...

; Choirs and Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, conductor

Michel Plasson Michel Plasson (born 2 October 1933, Paris, France) is a French conductor. Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. ...

(October 1995, EMI) *

Landowski Landowski or Landowsky (feminine Landowska, plural Landowscy) is a Polish name, Polish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Françoise Landowski-Caillet (1917–2007), French pianist and painter, son of Paul * Jan Landowski, Polish ...

, ''Montségur'' - Karam Amstrong, soprano; Michel Sénéchal and Rémy Corazza, ténors; Gino Quillico, Pierre Thau and Alain Fondary, baritones; Chœurs et Orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris, dir. Michel Plasson (April 1987, Cybelia) * assenet, ''Don Quichotte'' - Teresa Berganza">Don_Quichotte.html" ;"title="assenet, ''Don Quichotte">assenet, ''Don Quichotte'' - Teresa Berganza (La belle Dulcinée); José Van Dam (Don Quichotte); Alain Fondary (Sancho Pança); Choirs and Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, dir. Michel Plasson (23-27 June 1992, EMI)At the time of its release, this record was distinguished with a ''Diapason (magazine)">Diapason d'or The Diapason d'Or (French for "Golden Tuning Fork") is a recommendation of outstanding (mostly) classical music recordings given by reviewers of '' Diapason'' magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the ...

Biography

Discography

References

Bibliography

External links