Bacquier, Gabriel (-Augustin-Raymond-Théodore-Louis)
Bacquier, Gabriel (-Augustin-Raymond-Théodore-Louis)
Bacquier, Gabriel (-Augustin-Raymond-Théodore-Louis), noted French baritone; b. Béziers, May 17, 1924. He studied at the Paris Cons., winning three premiers prix. In 1950 he made his debut in Landowski’s Le Fou in Nice with José Beckman’s Compagnie Lyrique, and remained with the company until 1952; then sang at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (1953–56). He was a member of the Opéra-Comique (1956–58) and the Opéra (from 1958) in Paris. In 1962 he made his U.S. debut as the High Priest in Samson et Dolila in Chicago; in 1964 he first appeared at London’s Covent Garden; on Oct. 17, 1964, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as the aforementioned High Priest, and continued to sing there until 1982. In 1987 he became a teacher at the Paris Cons. He was made a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1975. He was equally at home in both dramatic and comic roles, numbering among his most esteemed portrayals Leporello, Dr. Bartolo, Dulcamara, Boccanegra, Falstaff, Golaud, and Scarpia.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire