Denise Duval (Soprano)
Born: 23rd October 1921, Paris
Died: 25th January 2016, Bex
Nationality: French
Born in Paris on 23rd October 1921, Duval spent much of her childhood in the Far East and began her career in France in her early twenties, making her debut in Bordeaux as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana and subsequently establishing herself on the Paris opera scene, where her early roles included Santuzza and Butterfly. Poulenc first encountered her singing Butterfly’s great aria in a revue at the Folies-Bergère, as he was casting around for a soprano to play the polymorphous title-role in his recently-completed opera bouffe Les mamelles de Tirésias; though the work was poorly received at its premiere, it sparked a life-long friendship and artistic partnership between Duval and the composer, who found inspiration in her compelling stage-presence, gamine beauty, and clean, slightly astringent soprano voice as well as a sensitivity to language that would prove absolutely crucial in text-driven works like La voix humaine and Dialogues des Carmelites.
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Denise Duval 1921 - 2016
The French soprano, who was closely associated with Francis Poulenc and gave the first performances of La voix humaine, has died aged 94.