Guest
Very little is known about the life and career of French tenor Georges Régis. Born in 1870, he seems to have made his debut in Marseille in 1898. Régis spent the next few seasons in the French provinces, singing primarily character roles. His association with the Opéra de Paris began on June 18, 1903 as Garter King of Arms in Saint-Saëns’ Henry VIII. Régis’ American debut occurred in November of 1905 as Brétigny in Manon with the French Opera in New Orleans. Although he was to sing two secondary roles (the other being the poet Ange Pitou in Lecocq’s La Fille du Mme. Angot), the tenor was warmly received by audiences and critics. According to a November 27, 1905 report in The New Orleans Times-Democrat, “M. Régis, the delightful light tenor, cannot receive too high praise, being one of the best of that voice that New Orleans Sunday night audiences have had the pleasure of hearing. He is young, handsome, shapely and a good comedian, and his voice is equal to all demands made upon it in volume and flexibility, and is of charming quality.” After returning to France the following year, Régis resumed his work with the Opéra, as well as making appearances in Bordeaux and at Paris’ Opéra-Comique. His repertoire continued to grow and included such roles as the Philistine Messenger in Samson et Dalila, Léopold in La Juive, the Monk Poet in Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, a Voice in Hérodiade, Ruodi in Guillaume Tell and Jonas in Le Prophéte. In the fall of 1909, Régis returned to the U. S. for a series of performances with The Met. His debut came about on November 8 as Brétigny in Manon at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The tenor was lauded by Brooklyn’s The Daily Standard Union, who wrote, “Another debut was that of Georges Regis, whose fine voice will be a valuable addition to the Metropolitan forces.” Not all the press during Régis’ season at The Met was complimentary, however. According to a February 1, 1910 review of Fra Diavolo in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “Georges Regis who assumed the role of Lorenzo, was not very forceful either vocally or as the lover of Zerline. It appeared as though the management found it convenient to put some artists into the cast largely because they could keep up with much of the swift French dialogue…” Régis sang 24 performances of four roles including the Sentry in L’Attaque du Moulin, as well as two concerts. Although he was announced in the role of Cassio to Leo Slezak’s Otello during the company’s performance of Verdi’s opera at Baltimore’s Lyric Theater on December 7, he was replaced by Angelo Badà for unknown reasons. The tenor’s final performance with the company was as Beppe in Chicago during a Met tour on April 27, 1910. Shortly before his one and only season at the Met concluded, Régis was part of a lawsuit filed against a Paris publisher by Gabriel Astruc, a French agent for the Metropolitan. In the suit, the publisher was accused of stating that Astruc secured artists based on their ability to pay commissions rather than their vocal talent. Interestingly, Régis testified in court that his earnings for the season amounted to $7,000 for 66 performances…a gross exaggeration! After leaving the U. S., Régis accepted guest contracts in a variety of theaters, including Hammerstein’s London Opera House, where he sang Tybalt in Roméo et Juliette, Laërte in Mignon and one of his rare leading roles, Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia in the spring of 1912. Paris, however, was the tenor’s artistic home, and he remained a stalwart member of the Opéra well into the 1920s. His repertoire of over 30 roles included Sir Huon of Bordeaux in Oberon, Third Jew in Salome, The Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte, Ruiz in Il Trovatore, Borsa in Rigoletto, Bardolfo in Falstaff, The Simpleton in Boris Godunov, and even such Wagnerian roles as Walther in Tannhäuser, Eisslinger in Die Meistersinger and an Esquire in Parsifal. Régis also sang in numerous world premieres at the Opéra, creating the roles of Héraut in Bruneau’s Le Jardin de Paradis (1923), l'Abbé des Béjaunes in Widor’s Nerto (1924) and First Choreute in Roussel’s La Naissance de la Lyre (1925). Unfortunately, details of the tenor’s later years are sketchy, and even the date of his death is unknown. Georges Régis was one of the finest comic tenors of the old French School to make recordings. His was a light grained voice with a very easy top that was used with grace and artistry. Sadly, he is all but forgotten today. We are fortunate that Régis left behind an impressive recorded legacy, made for Odéon and The Gramophone Company. Here, Régis sings a French version of ““Ecco ridente““ from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
