Paul Bastide
Encyclopedia
Paul Adrien Bastide, born Quimper
6 April 1879, died Vichy
18 August 1962, was a French conductor and composer.
and Massenet
), winning a first prize in harmony. His first professional work was as chorus master in Marseille from 1898, and gained early conducting experience also in Cairo and the Hague.
From 1919-38 Bastide was the musical director of the opera house in Strasbourg
, conducting Samson et Dalila at the re-opening on 8 March 1919 after the German occupation of Alsace
. He returned again after the Second World War, from 1945-48, re-opening with Carmen
on 16 November 1945 and conducting notable productions of Béatrice et Bénédict
(first French staging), and Martine by Rabaud (premiere). From 1945 to 1950 he was also music director of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Bastide was music director at Vichy from the 1920s, and at the Opéra de Marseille
from 1941-45.
Bastide was Director of Music at the Opéra-Comique
in Paris from 1932-36, making his debut with Carmen. Premieres there conducted by him included Tout Ank Amon (1934) and Gargantua (1935), and the French premiere of Frasquita (1933). He supervised the centennial revival of Le Pré aux clercs
(1932) and new productions of Tarass Boulba, Don Quichotte
(with Chaliapin
) and The marriage of Figaro. He returned to the Salle Favart as head of music studies from 1948-52. He conducted Louise
in some performances of the 50th anniversary run in 1950 at the Opéra-Comique, and the following year in Marseille.
Bastide became a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
in 1928.
Quimper
Quimper is a commune and capital of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Administration:Quimper is the prefecture of the Finistère department.-Geography:...
6 April 1879, died Vichy
Vichy
Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
18 August 1962, was a French conductor and composer.
Career
Paul Bastide studied at the University of Aix-en-Provence and the Paris Conservatoire (with PessardEmile Pessard
Émile Louis Fortuné Pessard was a French composer.He studied at the Paris Conservatoire where he won 1st prize in Harmony. In 1866 he won the Grand Prix de Rome with his cantata Dalila which was performed at the Paris Opera on February 21, 1867...
and Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
), winning a first prize in harmony. His first professional work was as chorus master in Marseille from 1898, and gained early conducting experience also in Cairo and the Hague.
From 1919-38 Bastide was the musical director of the opera house in Strasbourg
Opéra national du Rhin
LOpéra national du Rhin is an opera company which performs in Alsace, eastern France, and which includes the Opéra in Strasbourg, the company's ballet in Mulhouse , and the "Opéra Studio" , a training centre for young singers, in Colmar...
, conducting Samson et Dalila at the re-opening on 8 March 1919 after the German occupation of Alsace
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
. He returned again after the Second World War, from 1945-48, re-opening with Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
on 16 November 1945 and conducting notable productions of Béatrice et Bénédict
Béatrice et Bénédict
Béatrice et Bénédict is an opera in two acts by Hector Berlioz. Berlioz wrote the French libretto himself, based closely on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing....
(first French staging), and Martine by Rabaud (premiere). From 1945 to 1950 he was also music director of the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Bastide was music director at Vichy from the 1920s, and at the Opéra de Marseille
Opéra de Marseille
L’Opéra de Marseille, known today as the Opéra Municipal, is an opera company located in Marseille, France. In 1685, the city was the second in France after Bordeaux to have an opera house which was erected on a tennis court....
from 1941-45.
Bastide was Director of Music at the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
in Paris from 1932-36, making his debut with Carmen. Premieres there conducted by him included Tout Ank Amon (1934) and Gargantua (1935), and the French premiere of Frasquita (1933). He supervised the centennial revival of Le Pré aux clercs
Le Pré aux clercs
Le pré aux clercs is an opéra comique in three acts by Ferdinand Hérold with a libretto by François-Antoine-Eugène de Planard based on Prosper Mérimée's Chronique du temps de Charles IX of 1829.-Performance history:...
(1932) and new productions of Tarass Boulba, Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn.Massenet's comédie-héroïque, like so many other dramatized versions of the story of Don Quixote, relates only indirectly to the great novel by Miguel de Cervantes...
(with Chaliapin
Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. The possessor of a large and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form.During the first phase...
) and The marriage of Figaro. He returned to the Salle Favart as head of music studies from 1948-52. He conducted Louise
Louise (opera)
Louise is an opera in four acts by Gustave Charpentier to an original French libretto by the composer, with some contributions by Saint-Pol-Roux, a symbolist poet and inspiration of the surrealists....
in some performances of the 50th anniversary run in 1950 at the Opéra-Comique, and the following year in Marseille.
Bastide became a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1928.