DESCRIPTION:
Sibille, Madeleine, sop./mezzo, * 25.2.1895 Paris, † 19.7.1984 Paris; studied by Engel in Paris.

(by Christophe Delhoume):First years at the Comique French soprano, Madeleine Sibille was born in 1895. Noticed by Albert Carré, director of the Opera-Comique, she has been attached to this house all along her career, which ended in the late forties. She was engaged there in 1920, making her debut as Mercedes in CARMEN on January 11, 1920. During her first years as a pensionnaire at the Comique, Madeleine Sibille was cast first in minors parts, such as "La première" and "La balayeuse" in LOUISE, but she was also immediately noticed for her creation in LORENZACCIO by Ernest Moret (premiere on May 19) where she portrayed the part of Catherine Ginori, opposite a first class cast including Hilda Roosevelt and Mathilde Calvet, the tenor Lapelletrie and the famous bass-baritone Vanni-Marcoux. The following season proved to be much more interesting: if she remained cast in secondary parts (same roles for the 500° performance of LOUISE) and for the revival of LORENZACCIO (this time, under the baton of Albert Wolff), Madeleine SIBILLE imposed herself as Santuzza, a role very much identified with her all along her career, which she sang on June 12, 1921, and that repeated until the end of the season. In the meantime, was Bacchis in APHRODITE by Camille Erlanger, opposite the famous Marthe Chenal in the title-role, and created the one act opera by Marc Delmas: CAMILLE under the baton of Emile Archambaud, in a mise en scène by Mr. Carré himself. During the 1921/1922 season, Madeleine Sibille found herself in the operetta by Claude Terrasse, LE MARIAGE DE TELEMAQUE where she faced the director's wife, Marguerite Carré, as well as some other important members of the Opera-Comique company such as Louis Fugère and Cazette. LE MARIAGE DE TELEMAQUE proved to be a great popular success which lasted all along the 50 performances until January 1922. Other appearances included the premiere of Henri Büsser's LES NOCES CORINTHIENNES, especially written for Yvonne Gall (première on May 5, 1922) with Gall, Lise Charny, Trantoul and staged by Carré, as well as a revival of CAVALLERIA (July 10, 1922), opposite Rogatchewski as Turridu. In 1922/1923, Madeleine Sibille kept singing alternately small and first parts, as she sang indifferently soprano and mezzo parts. She was Rose-Marie in LA LEGENDE DU POINT D'ARGENTAN, when the Felix Fourdrain Opera was revived, then Mercedes again, opposite Suzanne Brohly as CARMEN for the gala celebrating the 1700 th performance of the piece on April 30, 1923. She undertook for the very end of the season Nedda in PAGLIACI with Charlesky on August 18, and Giulietta in LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN with David Devries as Hoffmann on August 22. Successful in both parts, Madeleine Sibille repeated PAGLIACI with Fraikin on October 10, and Giulietta on June 19, 1924. In the meantime, she created Milena in Felix Fourdrain new opera: LA GRIFFE on November 5, 1923, repeated Santuzza in December with Gaulfin and Baugé, and closed the season, appearing as Musetta in performances of BOHEME scheduled especially for Maria Kousnetzoff's return at the Comique