Michel Sénéchal

Michel Sénéchal

Michel Sénéchal (11 February 1927 – 1 April 2018) was a French tenor, particularly associated with French and Italian character roles in a repertory ranging from Baroque to contemporary works. Michel Sénéchal was born in Paris and sang as a child in a church choir in Taverny. He made his vocal studies at the Paris Conservatory, and made his debut at La Monnaie in Brussels in 1950, where he would remain until 1952. Upon his return in France he made his debut in Paris, at the Paris Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, where he sang the lead tenor roles in opera such as La dame blanche, Les Indes galantes, Il matrimonio segreto, The Barber of Seville, Le comte Ory, etc. He sang at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in Rameau's Platée for his debut there in 1956. He also appeared at the Vienna State Opera, the festivals of Salzburg and Glyndebourne, in Mozart roles such as Ottavio and Tamino. Sénéchal also appeared regularly in operettas, especially by Offenbach, such as Orphée aux enfers, La Vie parisienne, La Périchole, where his comic talent was shown to fine effect. As the years went by Sénéchal started concentrating on character roles such as Basilio in Nozze di Figaro, Goro in Madama Butterfly, the Holy Fool in Boris Godunov, Monsieur Triquet in Eugene Onegin, Guillot de Morfontaine in Manon, and the four servants in Les contes d'Hoffmann, which were his debut roles at the Metropolitan Opera on 8 March 1982. Sénéchal took part in the creation of contemporary works such as the roles of Fabien in Marcel Landowski's Montségur and Pope Leo X in Konrad Boehmer's Doctor Faustus. He remained active on stage until late in life, appearing in performance into the early years of the 21st century. He began teaching at "L'École d'art lyrique" of the Paris Opéra in 1979, and was eventually named director of the school. He can be heard in several recordings, notably in La dame blanche, Mireille, and Thais, made in his prime, in the early 1960s. Michel Sénéchal died in Eaubonne on 1 April 2018, aged 91. Source: Article "Michel Sénéchal" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

  • Title: Michel Sénéchal
  • Popularity: 0.308
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1927-02-11
  • Place of Birth: Paris, France
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  • Also Known As:
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Michel Sénéchal Movies

  • 1973
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    Otello

    Otello

    1 1973 HD

    Herbert von Karajan directed this film of Verdi’s Shakespearan masterpiece as well as conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. As the tragic Moor of...

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  • 2001
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    Manon

    Manon

    1 2001 HD

    Live 2001 recording at the Bastille opera in Paris in a production for l'Opéra de Paris by Gilbert Deflo. High praise was given to the...

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  • 1966
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    La 99ème minute

    La 99ème minute

    8 1966 HD

    Death live! In the middle of filming a detective drama, the main actor Gérard Gérard dies from a gunshot. This returning star was hated...

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  • 2000
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    La Belle Hélène

    La Belle Hélène

    1 2000 HD

    This is a joy from beginning to end. Although there are many tricks and ideas from Laurent Pelly, as always he seems to still retain the Offenbach...

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  • 2003
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    Les Contes d'Hoffmann

    Les Contes d'Hoffmann

    1 2003 HD

    Live performance from the Opéra National de Paris, 2003.

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  • 2002
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    Rusalka

    Rusalka

    1 2002 HD

    Renee Fleming stars in Dvorak's three-act opera based on two fairy-tales which tells the story of a water-nymph called Rusalka (Fleming), who wishes...

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  • 1974
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    Madama Butterfly

    Madama Butterfly

    9.5 1974 HD

    Mirella Freni, Placido Domingo, Christa Ludwig, and Robert Kerns star in this Jean-Pierre Ponnelle-directed version of the Puccini opera, with...

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  • 1996
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    Giordano: Andrea Chénier

    Giordano: Andrea Chénier

    1 1996 HD

    This live from the Met telecast from October 1996 of Giordano’s infrequently performed verismo gem is an absolute pleasure to watch and listen...

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  • 1988
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    La Bohème

    La Bohème

    6 1988 HD

    The film tells the story of a love affair between a poor poet and an equally poor seamstress in 19th century Paris.

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  • 1972
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    Le Grand Échiquier

    Le Grand Échiquier

    8 1972 HD

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