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Lucien Muratore (1876-1954) was a French dramatic tenor whose impressive career spanned some three decades. Born in Marseille, Muratore began studies there as a saxophone and oboe player before switching his focus to voice several months later. Initially pursuing a career as a dramatic actor, the young performer made his debut at the Variétés in Paris at the age of 20. Muratore spent several seasons there, as well as at the Casino in Monte Carlo and the Odéon Theatre in Paris, playing juvenile leads. During this period, he enrolled at the Paris Conservatory, where he continued his vocal studies. Muratore’s operatic debut took place at the Opéra-Comique on December 16, 1902 when he created the role of King Louis XIV in the world premiere of Renaldo Hahn’s La Carmélite. Although Hahn’s new opera was a failure, Muratore’s memorable performance helped launch him to an international career. In 1904, Muratore made his first appearance outside of his homeland, when he sang Werther at La Monnaie in Brussels. During the next decade, the tenor spent most of his time in the major theaters of the French speaking world, building his reputation as an artist of the first rank. Not only was Muratore quite skilled in his interpretations of the leads in such standard repertoire as Faust, Roméo et Juliette, Manon, Carmen, Mignon, Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana and Die Meistersinger, he also sang numerous world premieres of such works as Février’s Monna Vanna, Fauré’s Pénélope, Saint-Saëns’ Déjanire and Massenet’s operas Bacchus, Roma and Ariane. In 1913, Muratore came to the U.S. for much heralded appearances in Boston, Chicago and New York. A North American tour followed, the vehicle for which was Bizet’s Carmen. Performances in Fort Worth, Milwaukee, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa and other major cities kept the tenor quite busy, but it was Chicago that would remain his artistic home from 1913 to 1922. 1919 saw the tenor in South America for performances with the Teatro Solis in Montevideo and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. A series of concert appearances with his wife, soprano Lina Cavalieri, were also well received. However, the strain of professional life took its toll and Muratore and Cavalieri separated in 1919. By the early 1920s, Muratore was back in Paris where he remained until his retirement from the stage in 1932. The tenor also made his mark on the big screen, with a starring role in 1931’s “Le Chanteur Inconnu”. Interestingly, Muratore had made previous film appearances during the silent era, including the role of des Grieux in 1914’s Manon Lescaut (opposite Cavalieri in the title role). Although he continued to appear in films well into the 1930s, Muratore primarily focused on teaching. He was briefly the director of the Opéra-Comique in 1944 but was relieved of his duties following the liberation of Paris. Muratore passed away in Paris on July 16, 1954, a few weeks shy of his 78th birthday. Lucien Muratore was the possessor of a sturdy spinto-dramatic tenor instrument which he used to great effect in over 30 diverse roles. He was also one of the finest operatic actors of his generation. His recordings, made for G&T, Odeon, Pathé, Zonophone, Edison, . and other labels, show a singing actor who used his voice to great effect.
