Looking backwards :some time in the late forties.

He sounded gorgeous to my kid's ears. He looked grand.
When he left I can say now that I missed him a lot.
The only mutual ground we have had in commun (although he never knew it) is opera.
I heard him a lot practising, rehearsing,and saw him performing practically in all his small roles,or bigger ones, always from the gods.
Now I know precisely when and what he sang.
Up to now I had the upsetting feeling of coming across some part I had stored in my memory which was suddenly reactivated when listening to a baritone I particularly cherished, or to the radio and recently to a youtube extract, always converted into French in my mind! Apart from the Wagner's operas, all the repertoire was sung in French.
This is a tribute to a singer, Fortuné Morena, (never famous for a change!) who had an amazing ripe and mellow baritone voice, with great looks on stage. He had a rich and complicated life the way he chose to live and leave when he ever felt human bonds.
Apart from his public image and what my child's imagination built around it, I never knew what sort of human being he really was.
Apart from my young sound memory I have no recording of his voice whatsoever.(He took part in the recording of les Hughenots 1953 cond Jean Allain, a small role mainly in chorus, Cardinal de Retz, and that is all I have).
Les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer performed in French
Conductor Jean Allain - 1953(STU)
Orchestra - Orchestre des Concerts Pasdeloup
Chorus - Academie Chorale de Paris

Marguerite de Valois - Renée Doria
Valentine de Saint-Bris - Jeanne Rinella
Urbain - Simone Couderc
Raoul de Nangis - Guy Fouché
Compte de Nevers - Charles Cambon
Compte de Saint-Bris - Adrien Legros
Marcel - Henri Médus
De Tavannes - Vincent Martinez
De Cossé - Pierre Sanches
De Retz - Fortune Morena
De Meru - Gérard Bourreli