Promesse de mon avenir

Jean Lassalle -Le Roi de Lahore - Promesse de mon avenir -Créateur du role - Société Française de Gramophilie AFG 3 - enregistré sur cylindre Pathé en 1902, réédité dans les années 1950
Il naquit à Lyon le 14 février 1847. Il entra au Conservatoire en 1867 et débuta à Liège en 1868 dans les Huguenots. Il se produisit à Lille, toulouse, La Haye, Bruxelles et fut engagé à l’Opéra de Paris en 1872 où il chanta Guillaume Tell et Nélusko de l’Africaine.
Il passa au Théêtre Lyrique en 1876
Puis, à la retraite de jean-Baptiste Faure, il revint à l’Opéra où il créa avec éclat : Le Roi de Lahore, Polyeucte, Henri VIII, Samson et Dalila, Sigurd, Patrie, Ascanio, Benvenuto Cellini. Il interpètra également tous les grands rôles de baryton du répertoire.
Il quitta l’Opéra en 1894. Il chanta sur les grandes scènes étrangères au Metropolitan Opera, au Covent Garden, à Madrid.
Il se livra à l’enseignement en 1901 et fut nommé au Conservatoire en 1903.
Il mourut à Paris en 1909

He was the son of a silk trader. He left Lyon and went to Paris and wanted to become a painter. He studied singing at the Conservatoire National in Paris under the pedagogue Novelli. He made his debut in 1886 at the Opera House in Lüttich as Saint Bris in ‘’Huguenots’’ of G. Meyerbeer. After his appearances at the opera houses of Lille, Toulouse, Hague and Brussels, he joined in 1872 to the Grand Opéra in Paris, where he made his debut as Wilhelm Tell in G. Rossini’s opera of the same name. Through long years he belonged to the most prominent members of this opera house. Especially he was appreciated at the Covent Garden, where he appeared in the 1879-1881 and 1888-1893 seasons in the parts like the Fliegenden Holländer, Telramund and Hans Sachs.
At the Covent Garden in London he appeared in the following opera premieres:
1881 ‘’Demon’’ (English première) A. Rubinstein
1892 ‘’The Light of Asia’’ Isidore De Lara
1893 ‘’Amy Robsart’’ Isidore De Lara
At the Grand Opéra in Paris he appeared in the following opera premieres:
27.4.1877 ’’Le Roi de Lahore’’ Jules Massenet
7.10.1878 ‘’Polyeucte’’ Charles Gounod
1.4.1881 ‘’Le Tribut de Zamora’’ Charles Gounod
14.4.1882 ‘’Françoise de Rimini’’ Ambroise Thomas
21.3.1890 ‘’Ascanio’’ Camille Saint-Saëns
5.3.1883 ‘’Henri VIII’’ Camille Saint-Saëns
1892 ‘’Samson et Dalila’’ Camille Saint-Saëns
At the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels he appeared in the following opera premiere:
15.7.1884 ‘’Sigurd’’ Ernest Reyer
In 1890 he sang at the Paris Opéra-Comique in a gala performance of ‘’Carmen’’ with Jean de Reszke and Nellie Melba. Then in the 1892-1898 (with interruptions) seasons he was a famed member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Here he made debut in January, 1892 in as Nelusco in ‘’L'Africaine’’ of G. Meyerbeer. At the Metropolitan Opera his repertoire included Don Giovanni, the title part in ‘’Hamlet’’ of A. Thomas, Valentin in ‘’Faust’’ of C. Gounod, Escamillo in ‘’Carmen’’, Nevers in ‘’Huguenots’’, Telramund, Hans Sachs and Wolfram in ‘’Tannhäuser’’. Then he returned to France and some years appeared in Paris, but since 1901 devoted himself to teaching and received in 1903 a professorship of the Conservatoire de Paris. Jean Lassale counted as one of the most significant Baritons of his epoch, who was compared many times to his predecessor, the famous Jean-Baptiste Faure. His son Robert Lassalle, became a known tenor, who was trained by his father and J. Isnardon.

Chronology of some appearances (Opera premieres)

London Covent Garden
1881 ‘’Demon’’ (English première) A. Rubinstein
1892 ‘’The Light of Asia’’ Isidore De Lara
1893 ‘’Amy Robsart’’ Isidore De Lara
Paris Grand Opéra
27.4.1877 ’’Le Roi de Lahore’’ Jules Massenet
7.10.1878 ‘’Polyeucte’’ Charles Gounod
1.4.1881 ‘’Le Tribut de Zamora’’ Charles Gounod
14.4.1882 ‘’Françoise de Rimini’’ Ambroise Thomas
21.3.1890 ‘’Ascanio’’ Camille Saint-Saëns
5.3.1883 ‘’Henri VIII’’ Camille Saint-Saëns
1892 ‘’Samson et Dalila’’ Camille Saint-Saëns
Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie
15.7.1884 ‘’Sigurd’’ Ernest Reyer
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