Jean Giraudeau (1 July 1916, in Toulon – 7 February 1995), was an artist and French tenor,[1] and later theatre director, particularly associated with the Opéra-Comique in Paris, and described in Grove as having a “lyrical voice” as well as being “a superb character actor”.
[2] Having sung in a pioneering BBC broadcast of Les Troyens recorded in May and June 1947, Giraudeau made his debut at the Opéra-Comique on 23 July that year as Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles, going on to create roles in Il était un petit navire by Germaine Tailleferre in 1951 (Valentin) and in Marion, ou la Belle au tricorne by Pierre Wissmer in 1951 (Fabrice).
[4] At the Opéra-Comique Giraudeau also sang in Madame Bovary by Emmanuel Bondeville (Charles Bovary), Blaise le savetier by Philidor (Blaise), Ariane à Naxos (Bacchus), Lakmé (Gérald), Le Barbier de Séville (Almaviva), Così fan tutte (Ferrando), Les Indes galantes (Valère), Manon (Des Grieux), Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton) Les Mamelles de Tirésias (le Mari) and L'Heure espagnole (Gonzalve).
[1] Giraudeau sang Du Bartas in the premiere of the comédie lyrique Colombe by Jean-Michel Damase and Jean Anouilh in Bordeaux on 5 May 1961,[5] sang in the premiere of Marcel Landowski's L'Opéra de Poussière, the first 'world premiere' in the history of the Avignon Opera in 1962,[6] and also created roles in operas by Claude Prey; Lui in Le cœur révélateur ou Les voliges in 1964,[3] and L’homme occis ou Un tunnel sous le Mont-Blanc in 1975 (concert) and 1975 (stage).
Having been appointed as the head of vocal department in 1964, he became Director of the Opéra-Comique from 1968 to 1972,[2] and commenced a policy of introducing more 20th-century works into the company repertoire,[1] until, powerless and desperate, he saw the dissolution of its troupe.