Denise Duval, French soprano, Died at 94

Denise Duval was born in October 23, 1921, in Parisand died on January 25, 2016, in Switzerland.

She was a French soprano.

She was best known for her performances in works by the composer Francis Poulenc.

Miss Duval produced the roles of Elle in La voix Humaine, Thérèse in Les mamelles de Tirésias and later advanced in the role of Blanche de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites, although she did not sing in the world premiere of the work at the Teatro Alla Scala, when it was performed in Italian translation.

Denise Duval delivered her debut as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana in Bordeaux in 1941 and was a member of the companies of the Paris Opéra and Opéra-Comique from 1947 to 1965 when she retired.

Denise also was noted for her depiction of Debussy’s Mélisande and Massenet’s Thaïs.

She was noted for her performances of works by Roussel and Ravel.

Miss Denise Duval continued to be closely associated with Poulenc, who was partly ‘discovered’ her, and undertook many tours with him towards the end of his life as a duo chansons partnership.

The singers voice were described by a general fragility in strength, an intonational precision marked by a lack of vibrato, and a manner of articulation wherein the delivery of notes lies slightly behind the beat.

She was particularly effective in roles where emotion is ironic or neo-classical in nature, but not explicitly anti-romantic.

Amongst her appearances in America was her 1961 Thaïs at the Dallas Opera, conducted by Nicola Rescigno and directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

Denise Duval passed away at 94yrs old.