Micheletti, Gaston                      (Corsican tenor, 1892 - 1959)

Born at Tavaco on the island of Corsica, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and made his debut at Reims in 1922, as Faust. Three years later he was contracted to the Opéra-Comique, where his first role was Des Grieux. This opera house became the centre of his activities until his retirement in 1946. He sang in a wide range of roles, including Don José, Turiddu, Hoffmann, Gérald, Pinkerton, Canio, Dimitri in Alfano’s Risurrezione, Mylio, Werther, Rodolfo, Cavaradossi and Roméo. He created numerous roles in premieres of forgotten French operas. His career was largely restricted to French and Belgian opera houses.

He is a lirico-spinto tenor of remarkable subtility. The timbre of his voice is attractive, warm and velvety, with a slightly baritonal tinge. There is a hint of rapid vibrato which I like very much.

Micheletti is an ideal Faust. He is poetic and natural sounding, quite the contrary to the more “intellectuel” and mannered Nicolai Gedda. He is also wonderful in Massenet’s Hérodiade. Micheletti’s intimate sound and inner emotion are perfectly adequate for Werther. His Don José opposite Conchita Supervia has become a classic.

Rogatchevsky, Joseph               (Ukrainian-Belgian tenor, 1891 - 1985)

He left Russia in 1909 and attended the Paris Conservatoire, enlisting in 1914. Although he was  wounded during Worldwar, he continued his voice studies at the end of the war and was taught by Isnardon and Hettich. Rogatchevsky made his debut at the Opera of Toulouse. His first role at the Opéra-Comique was Cavaradossi. From 1924 he spent his time between Paris, the provinces and the La Monnaie in Brussels where he became its first lyrical tenor from 1924 to 1952! He appeared at the Vienna State Opera in 1929/30. His repertoire included roles such as Tannhäuser, Parsifal, Orphée, Idomeneo, Florestan, Hermann, Rabaud’s Marouf and the whole French repertoire. He was appointed Director of The La Monnaie in  Brussels from 1953 to 1959.

He is a lirico-spinto tenor of a melancholic and elegiac timbre. Frequently lacking correct breath support, he sings with a remarkable sweetness of tone. He recorded Des Grieux in  Manon as well as Werther in integral recordings of reference status.

I like him most in arias of The Queen of Spades, Prince Igor and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Maynight. This is fine singing indeed, without any tendency to frequently a lachrymose tone which he showed in the French repertory.

Vezzani, César             (Corsican tenor, 1886 - 1951)

He was born in Bastia on Corsica and came to Paris in 1908. He hardly knew how to read and write and speaking a poor French! His voice was first discovered by the sopranist Agnes Borgo (1879 - 1958). She became his first teacher and sent him to the Conservatoire National de Paris. They married in 1913. He made his debut in Grétry’s Richard Coeur de Lion at the Opéra-Comique in 1912. The couple was invited to sing in Boston and Chicago, but World War I broke out and they had to cancel. A disagreement with the management of the Opéra-Comique arose, after which his career was largely confined to the operas of Nizza, Marseille, Toulon and Toulouse and Brussels. He never returned to Paris. During World War II he lived in exile and appeared at the opera of Algier, where he was much admired. In 1947 he signed a contract for three years with the La Monnaie Brussels, but during a rehearsal on stage in Toulon he suffered a stroke which paralysed him completely. He died in 1951.

Vezzani is a dramatic tenor of great brilliance and with a ringing top. There is a vibrant vitality in his singing.

I particularly admire him as Otello (in excellent French, a forgotten art today). Di quella pira from Il Trovatore and Reyer’s Sigurd as well as Corentin in Dinorah show him at his very best.

Villabella, Miguel                             (Spanish-French tenor, 1892 - 1954)

He was born in Bilbao. His father, a well-known baritone throughout Spain, did not encourage Miguel to follow in his footsteps. Miguel was sent to study business and upon graduation he went to Paris as a business apprentice. One day he was overheard singing in the street by none other than Lucien Fugère who immediately offered to give him lessons. After a few months he returned to make his professional debut at a concert singing a selection from Rigoletto (1927). He returned to Paris and sang in military hospitals for wounded French troops. While in Paris, he continued his studies with Fugère and Isnardon (the teacher also of Rogatchevsky). He made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in 1920 as Spoletta. He was successful in the title role of Messager’s Fortunio and soon became one of Paris’ most admired singers. This popularity led to further engagements both the Opéra-Comique and the Grand-Opéra. He appeared in a variety of operas such as La Bohème, Le Roi d’Ys, Così fan tutte, La Traviata, Carmen, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Roméo et Juliette, Tosca, Lakmé, Le Barbier de Séville, Manon, Mireille, La Dame Blanche, Faust, Werther and Rigoletto. He retired in 1940 and continued to be active as a teacher in Paris until his death.

His voice is of an individual timbre with an easy top as well as a fine voix mixte. The forward placement may not be to everybody’s taste, however, his singing is characterized by fine elegance. He is able to sing perfect fioriture without aspirations.

He is excellent in arias from Adam’s Le Postillon de Longjumeau and Boïldieu’s La Dame Blanche, demonstrating his fine technique and charme. I admire him in operas such as Lakmé, Mireille and Grisélidis.