Léon Carvalho

Léon Carvalho (January 18, 1825 - December 29, 1897) was a French impresario and stage director.

Born Léon Carvaille in Port-Louis, Mauritius, he came to France at an early age. He studied at the Paris Conservatory and sang as a baritone at the Opéra-Comique (1850-55), where he met the soprano Marie Caroline Miolan whom he married in 1853.

He then gave up singing and took on the direction of the Théâtre Lyrique in 1856, where he presented works by Beethoven, Mozart, Rossini, Weber, but most importantly opened his doors to new French composers turned down by the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, such as Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet, Saint-Saens, Delibes, etc. He became director of the Opéra-Comique in 1876, and again favored the creations of many new works.

After the burning of the Salle Favart in 1887, which caused the death of 131 persons, he was held responsible and condemned for negligence and imprisonned, however after an appeal he was acquitted and reinstated as director of the theatre in 1891, where he continued promoting new talents.

Carvalho died in Paris, France.

ources

* "Le guide de l'opéra", Mancini & Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1986), ISBN 2-213-01563-6