Émile-Alexandre Taskin [SEP] place of death
Émile-Alexandre Taskin
Émile-Alexandre Taskin, born in Paris on 18 March 1853, and died there on 5 October 1897, was a French operatic baritone mainly active at the Paris Opéra-Comique. He was a descendant of the harpsichord maker Pascal Taskin (1723–1793).
After singing in church choirs as a child, Taskin studied at the Conservatoire de Paris under Bussine and Ponchard. Having made his debut in 1875 in "L'enfance du Christ" by Berlioz, his stage debut was in September 1875 in Amiens
, to further his studies (1885-1887).
The soloists at its first performance were Rose Caron (Lia), Ernest Van Dyck (Azaël), and Émile-Alexandre Taskin (Siméon).
The later version of 1907 was orchestrated with the help of André Caplet and the premiere of this version took place at the Sheffield Music Festival, conducted by Henry Wood.
Although the work was never intended to be staged, it has on occasion been presented as a one-act opera.
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