Marcel Claudel (Tenor) (Courcelles 1900 - Charleroi 1981)

                                             Jean in ''Le jongleur de Notre Dame''

His real name was Marcel Buydens. He received his education in Charleroi under Edgard Druine and at the conservatoire of Brussels. In 1922 he was engaged by the Théâtre la Monnaie in Brussels (debut as Wilhelm Meister in ‘’Mignon’’ of A. Thomas). He remained till 1927 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, then he sang at the opera house of Lyons and from 1928-37 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. There he sang roles like Rodolfo in Puccini’s ‘’Bohème’’, Hans in Smetana’s ‘’Verkaufter Braut’’, Paolino in ‘’ Matrimonio segreto’’ of Cimarosa and George Brown in ‘’Dame blanche’’. In 1931 he appeared at the Opéra-Comique in the premiere of Roger Ducass's opera ‘’Cantegril’’. Since 1937 he belonged again to the Théâtre la Monnaie of Brussels, where he appeared till 1958 (later as comprimario). At the opera house of Monte Carlo he guested as Hoffmann in ‘’ Hoffmanns Erzählungen’’, Pelléas in ‘’Pelléas et Mélisande’’ and Dimitri in ‘’Boris Godunov’’ (with Fedor Schaljapin in the title role). He also performed as a guest at Covent Garden in London (1928), Nationaltheater in Prague, opera houses of Antwerp, Bordeaux, Marseille, Geneva and Oran. He gave concerts in Londonand in North Africa. Since 1938 he also been active as a director. Later he was a manager of the theatre in Charleroiand professor of the conservatoire in Mons.

Chronology of some appearances

1923-1927 Brussels Théâtre la Monnaie Mignon

1928-1937 Paris Opéra-Comique

1928 London Covent Garden

1931 Paris Opéra-Comique Cantegril

1937-1958 Brussels Théâtre la Monnaie

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Polydor
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