Paul Derenne

Paul Derenne (born René Bouvier) (1907, Rennes – 18 April 1988, Bec-Hellouin) was a French tenor whose eclectic repertoire allowed him a successful career on stage and on the concert platform.

Derenne undertook studies in architecture while also pursuing vocal studies with Marguerite Babaïan. She recommended him to Reynaldo Hahn (who suggested his stage name based on his home town). After taking part in a competition in 1935 organised by the magazine Comœdia, he made his debut under Charles Munch in the French premiere of Hin und Zurück by Hindemith. Hugues Cuénod, who also took part, introduced him to Nadia Boulanger from which he took part in the historic recording of Monteverdi madrigals, which won the Grand Prix du Disque for 1937.

Derenne made his debut at the Paris Opéra Comique in 1937 in the French premieres of Le testament de la tante Caroline by Albert Roussel (Noel) and of Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss (Brighella) alongside de Germaine Lubin and Janine Micheau, both operas conducted by Roger Désormière.

Called up in 1940 and captured by the Germans, he was imprisoned at Longvic, near Dijon. Freed after a few months, Derenne joined the company of the Palais de Chaillot, singing many leading lyric roles of the opéra comique repertoire, such as Fortunio, George Brown in La dame blanche, Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (in French) and Gérald in Lakmé. He also sang in the first performance of surviving fragments of Chabrier's Vaucochard et Fils 1er on 22 April 1941 at the Salle du Conservatoire.