Emma Luart
{{Short description|Belgian operatic soprano (1892–1968)}}
Emma Luart (14 August 1892, Brussels – 26 August 1968, Brussels) was a Belgian operatic soprano. A graduate of the Brussels Conservatory, she made her official stage début at The Hague in 1914. She was contracted to La Monnaie in Brussels from 1918–1922 where she excelled in lyric soprano roles like Louise, Mélisande, and Manon. She spent the remainder of her career as a member of the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Her career was disrupted by the outbreak of World War II, and she was not heard on the stage again after this point.
Life
Luart was born on 14 August 1892 in Brussels.{{cite book |last=Steane |first=J. B. |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t262.e902 |title=The Grove Book of Opera Singers |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-533765-5 |editor=Laura Macy |url-access=subscription |authorlink=J. B. Steane}} She was a graduate of the Brussels Conservatory, and she made her official stage début at The Hague in 1914. She was contracted to La Monnaie in Brussels from 1918–1922 where she excelled in lyric soprano roles like Louise, Mélisande, and Manon. She spent the remainder of her career as a member of the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Her Paris debut was in the role of Lakmé. Her career was disrupted by the outbreak of World War II, and she was not heard on the stage again after this point. She taught singing in Brussels in her retirement. In 1997 Vintage Music Company released a recording of Luart singing excerpts from Manon recorded by Odeon electronically between 1928 and 1932.
Her voice has been described as "a characteristically bright 'French' voice ... with a touching expressiveness, especially in the excerpts from Manon.", as possessing "charm, passion, authentic French vocal style",{{Cite journal |last=Camner |first=J. |date=May 1997 |title=Natalie Dessay: French Opera Arias / Emma Luart |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/224226197 |journal=Opera News |language=en |volume=61 |page=62 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 April 2025|id={{ProQuest|224226197}} |website=}} and "almost more French than the French".{{Cite web |title=Emma Luart |url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/emma-luart |access-date=3 April 2025 |website=Gramophone |language=en}} Comparing her to modern French singer Natalie Dessay, reviewer J. Camner said "To hear the two in juxtaposition is to sense what's missing from French opera today".
References
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Category:Belgian operatic sopranos