Victor Maurel

He was also known for his portrayal of Mozart's Don Giovanni, and won Wagner's praise for his performances in Lohengrin, Tannhäuser and Der fliegende Holländer.

Among his fellow students were Victor Capoul and Pierre Gailhard, and according to Le Figaro the three made the Conservatoire "resound with a picaresque tumult of adventures, jokes and vocal triumphs with which all the chronicles of Paris vibrated for thirty years".

[3] He made his début in Marseille (1867) in Guillaume Tell, and the following year appeared at the Paris Opéra as de Nevers in Les Huguenots, the Count di Luna in Il trovatore and roles in L’Africaine and La favorite.

[1][4] In 1879 Maurel returned to the Paris Opéra and sang there frequently until 1894, in between foreign tours and a financially unsuccessful spell as co-director of the revived Théâtre-Italien at the Théâtre des Nations.

Verdi was sufficiently impressed to cast him as Iago in the premiere of Otello (1887)[1] and – after protracted haggling about fees[5] – in the title role for the first performance of Falstaff (1893), both at La Scala.

[8] According to Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Maurel was outstanding not so much for the timbre or resonance of his voice as for his perfect breath control and skill as an actor.

He wrote books on singing and opera staging, including Le Giant remove par la science (1892), Un Probleme d'art (1893), L'Art du chant (1897), and memoirs, Dix ans de carriere (1897).