Gabriel Bacquier

French operatic baritone singer, one of the leading baritones of the 20th century, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories. He was considered a fine singing-actor equally at home in dramatic or comic roles. He was a long-term member of the Opéra-Comique and the Paris Opera, but also appeared regularly at leading opera houses in Europe and the U.S.

He debuted at the Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, in 1953. In the field of mélodies, he made recordings of songs by Maurice Ravel, Déodat de Séverac, Francis Poulenc and others. Two live recitals from 1961 and 1972 were issued on CD in 1987. He recorded six Poulenc songs, accompanied by Jacques Février, in June 1964 on DVD.

Bacquier was also active as a teacher, first at the vocal school of the Paris Opera and later at the Paris Conservatory until 1987, and from 2001 at the the Académie de Musique de Monaco, where he directed student productions.

Gabriel Bacquier died on 13 May 2020 at age 95 in Lestre, Manche, France.