Victor Maurel

Victor Maurel (17 June 184822 October 1923) was a French baritone who enjoyed an international reputation in opera. He sang in opera houses in Paris and London, Milan, Moscow, New York, St Petersburg and many other venues. He was particularly associated with the operas of Verdi and created leading characters in the premieres of the composer's final operas, as Iago in ''Otello'' (1887) and in the title role of ''Falstaff'' (1893). He was also known for his portrayal of Mozart's Don Giovanni, and won Wagner's praise for his performances in ''Lohengrin'', '' Tannhäuser'' and '' Der fliegende Holländer''. After retiring from the stage he taught singing in Paris, London and New York.

Biography

Maurel was born in Marseille on 17 June 1848.Rosenthal, Harold, and Karen Henson
"Maurel, Victor"
''Grove Music Online'', Oxford University Press, 2009 He studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Daniel Auber, with Charles-François Duvernoy and Eugène Vauthrot as his main teachers. Among his fellow students were Victor Capoul and Pierre Gailhard, and according to ''Le Figaro'' the three made the Conservatoire "resound with a picaresque tumult of adventures, jokes and vocal triumphs with which all the chronicles of Paris vibrated for thirty years"."Montaudran"
"Victor Maurel"
''Le Figaro'', 24 October 1923, p. 1 In addition to his escapades, Maurel won first prizes for singing and opera."Mr Victor Maurel", ''The Daily Telegraph'', 24 October 1923, p. 6

He made his début in Marseille (1867) in ''Guillaume Tell'', and the following year appeared at the Paris Opéra as de Nevers in ''Les Huguenots'', the Count di Luna in '' Il trovatore'' and roles in '' L’Africaine'' and ''La favorite''. At the Opéra Jean-Baptiste Faure was established as the leading baritone, and Maurel decided to pursue his career abroad.Martin, p. 253 He left the Opéra in 1869 and appeared in opera houses in Cairo, London, Milan, Moscow, New York and St Petersburg. In New York he sang Amonasro in the first American production of ''Aida'' (1873).

In 1879 Maurel returned to the Paris Opéra and sang there frequently until 1894, in between foreign tours and a financially unsuccessful spell as co-director of the revived Théâtre-Italien at the Théâtre des Nations. At La Scala, Milan in 1881 he sang the title role in the premiere of Verdi's revised version of ''Simon Boccanegra''. Verdi was sufficiently impressed to cast him as Iago in the premiere of ''Otello'' (1887) and – after protracted haggling about fees – in the title role for the first performance of ''Falstaff'' (1893), both at La Scala. The Milan company took ''Falstaff'' on a European tour, but with the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War still an affront to French national pride, Maurel refused go with the company to Berlin. Between the two Verdi premieres Maurel created the role of Tonio in Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci'' at the Teatro Dal Verme, Milan (1892). At his insistence Leoncavallo changed the title of the piece from the singular to the plural so that the tenor was not the only (clown) of interest.

Maurel's antipathy to Germany did not extent to its music. He was much impressed by Wagner's operas, and he appeared as Telramund in ''Lohengrin'', Wolfram in '' Tannhäuser'' and in the title role of '' Der fliegende Holländer''. On a visit to London, Wagner sought Maurel out to congratulate him on his Covent Garden performances in the roles. According to ''Le Figaro'', Maurel's chief musical gods nevertheless remained Mozart and Verdi. One of the roles with which Maurel was particularly associated was Don Giovanni. When he played the part at the Opéra-Comique he was described as "a personal, tormented, romantic, complicated Don Giovanni", and when he played it at Covent Garden Bernard Shaw wrote that he was immeasurably better than any other exponent of the part in recent years, although Shaw thought him more suited to melodramatic parts in Verdi operas.

According to ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', Maurel was outstanding not so much for the timbre or resonance of his voice as for his perfect breath control and skill as an actor. ''Le Figaro'' compared him to "le grand Irving" (Sir Henry Irving) and he acted on the non-musical stage in the early 1900s. ''The Manchester Guardian'' said that he was among baritones what Chaliapin was to basses, "combining the genius of the actor as well as the singer".

Maurel returned to the Metropolitan Opera in 1894–1896 and 1898–99 and after retiring from performing he designed its production of Gounod’s '' Mireille'' (1919). For a time he had an opera studio in London, and from 1909 until his death he taught in New York. He wrote books on singing and opera staging, including (1892), (1893), (1897), and memoirs, (1897).

Some examples of his singing are preserved on gramophone records he made in the early 20th century. These recordings, which include a few French songs and arias from ''Otello'', ''Falstaff'' and ''Don Giovanni'', have been reissued on CD by various companies. In a study of old recordings J. B. Steane comments that some of Maurel's are of cheap music unworthy of the singer's attention and others fail to show why he was so highly regarded in his prime, but that Don Giovanni's Serenade shows "a well-preserved, virile voice and an aristocratic finish to the style" and Maurel's performance of Falstaff's short aria "" "impresses for its buoyancy – '' bounces gaily on its podgy toes – and the colourful vocal acting. It is a delightful memento".

Maurel was married to Frédérique Rosine de Grésac, a well-known writer who used the pen-name Fred de Gresac.Bordman, Gerald, and Thomas S. Hischak
"Gresac, Fred(erique Rosine) De"
''The Oxford Companion to American Theatre'', Oxford University Press 2004 In about 1909 they moved to New York, where Maurel died on 22 October 1923 at the age of 75.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurel, Victor
French operatic baritones
1848 births
1923 deaths
Musicians from Marseille
Fonotipia Records artists
19th-century French male opera singers
Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)