Pierre Duval - Son salvo, alfin son salvo (Decca, 1963)

Pierre Duval (1932-2004) was a French-Canadian tenor who enjoyed his greatest success during the 1960s and ‘70s. The 6th child of a candy vendor and his wife, Duval was born Joseph Jacques Ovide Coutú in Laval, Québec. He began his musical studies with British tenor Frank Rowe before working with celebrated Neapolitan soprano Dina-Maria Narici (a.k.a. Maria Gilda d’Alcamo) at the Conservatoire de Musique in Montréal. During his time at the conservatory, the young tenor drove a taxi to make ends meet, as well as working as a singing waiter at the popular Montréal club La Cigale. He also worked as a church musician and did a bit of singing on radio and television. Luckily, he was awarded a $2,000 Canada Council Arts grant, which allowed him to continue his studies at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome. Sources differ as to when the tenor’s professional debut occurred. Most state that Duval debuted at Opéra de Montréal in the title role of Gounod's Faust in 1960. However, the company did not yet exist at that time, casting a bit of doubt on this assertion. Many newspaper stories claim that the tenor debuted as the Fisherman in Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera in 1962. A check of the company’s roster, however, does not show a Pierre Duval (or Ovide Coutú, for that matter) listed among the artists. It is known that, beginning in October of 1956, the tenor studied periodically in Rome until at least the early 1960s. It is possible that Duval worked as an understudy at Teatro dell’Opera. It’s also possible that he sang with smaller companies in Rome or participated in student productions at Santa Cecilia. Claims that Duval sang Arturo in La Scala’s 1962 production of I Puritani also seem to have been fabricated. As is the case with Teatro dell’Opera, Duval’s name appears nowhere on La Scala’s roster. Duval did sing for several months in Johannesburg, as well as making appearances at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Glyndebourne Festival. For the most part, however, he spent the early 1960s singing with Montréal Symphony, both in opera and concert.

What should have been Duval’s big break occurred in 1963. Decca Records was making preparations for an all star recording of Bellini’s I Puritani. The cast included Joan Sutherland, Renato Capecchi, and Ezio Flagello, all under the baton of Richard Bonynge. When the tenor (reportedly Franco Corelli) withdrew from the project at the last minute, executives began a frantic search for a replacement who could handle the treacherous role of Arturo. Recalling Duval’s recent appearance in Glyndebourne’s production of Capriccio, Decca executives contacted the tenor. Although a relative unknown, Duval was an ideal choice, having no difficulty with the high tessitura of the role. Sadly, reviews were mixed, and the recording did not propel the tenor to stardom.

Despite the fact that international fame eluded him, Duval enjoyed a very fine career, singing with Théâtre Lyrique de Nouvelle-France, Vancouver Opera, Opéra du Québec, Toronto’s Canadian Opera Company, New York City Opera, New Orleans Opera, Milwaukee Opera, Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, Bologna’s Teatro Comunale, Cleveland Symphony, Montréal Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles Symphony, and others. His repertoire of some 40 operas included Fille du Régiment, Manon, Pêcheurs de Perles, Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Bohème, Gianni Schicchi, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Barbiere di Siviglia, Maria Stuarda, Maid of Orleans, Der Rosenkavalier, La Belle Hélène, Faust and Roméo et Juliette, as well as such non-operatic works as Carmina Burana, Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ, and Verdi’s Requiem.

During the 1970s, Duval continued his performances in opera and concert, as well as on radio and TV. He began to curtail his appearances by the dawn of the 1980s, giving his final performance on December 16, 1992 with Orchestre Symphonique de Laval. Pierre Duval passed away in Laval on May 31, 2004 at the age of 71. Six months later, he was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Opera Hall of Fame.

Pierre Duval is one of the unjustly forgotten tenors of the latter half of the 20th century. His was an exciting instrument, with pealing top notes and remarkable power. Although he may not have been the most nuanced interpreter, his vocal performances were nothing short of thrilling. Sadly, Duval made but a few commercial recordings. Apart from the previously mentioned I Puritani, he sang the secondary role of Arturo in RCA’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Avito in Delphi Records’ L'Amore dei Tre Re, as well as a few filmed opera productions for Canadian TV. Luckily, a number of live recordings exist to give some insight into the singing of this wonderful tenor. Here, Duval sings “Son salvo, alfin son salvo” from Bellini’s I Puritani. This was recorded in London for Decca in 1963, with Richard Bonynge conducting the Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.