DELMAS, Jean-François 1861-1933

Autograph letter signed "F. Delmas de l'opéra" to [?Antonin] Périvier

1 page of a bifolium. Octavo. Dated St. Petersburg, Sunday, March 26, 1899. In black ink. In French (with translation).

Delmas asks Périvier, a prominent editor at the French newspaper Le Figaro, not to publish his name in Felia Litvinne's account of their St. Petersburg performances.

"I appeal to your goodwill, to your esteem, so that Le Figaro publishes only that which concerns Madame Litvinne. I am not involved with these notes. I beg you to ensure that my name does not appear there in any way."

Very slightly worn; creased at folds.

Jean-François Delmas was a French bass-baritone. "He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and in 1886 made his début as Saint-Bris in Les Huguenots at the Opéra. There he remained until 1927, singing in every season. He appeared in the premières of many French operas including Thaïs, in which he was the original Athanaël in 1894. He was also the Opéra’s first Hans Sachs, Wotan Hagen and Gurnemanz. His sonorous bass voice had an extensive upper range which enabled him to sing baritone roles such as Iago. He also appeared at Monte Carlo, but though of international calibre confined his career to France. His recordings are early and surprisingly few but show a commanding manner and a magnificent voice." J.B. Steane in Grove Music Online.

Felia Litvinne (1860-1936) was a Russian soprano of German and Canadian descent. "From 1890 she appeared in the imperial theatres in Moscow and St Petersburg. Litvinne made her Metropolitan début in 1896 as Valentine (Les Huguenots) and sang, among other roles, Aida, Donna Anna, Brünnhilde (Siegfried) and Sélika (L’Africaine). In 1899 she appeared at Covent Garden, as Isolde, returning periodically until 1910; in her last season she sang Brünnhilde in Götterdämmerung. She sang in several Russian Ring cycles, 1899–1914, and, with Charles Dalmorès, in the French premières of Götterdämmerung and Tristan under Cortot in 1902. An excellent musician and linguist, she had a large, flexible voice and great stage presence. Her recordings (1902–8, several with Cortot as her pianist) vividly convey her vibrant, impassioned singing." Harold Barnes and Alan Blyth in Grove Music Online.

Item #23647

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