Léon Carvalho

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.

[1] 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 (he staged the first, very incomplete, performance of Les Troyens in 1863), Gounod, Bizet, Saint-Saëns and Delibes.

[4] Carvalho also brought Carmen back to the Opera-Comique in 1883, firstly in an expurgated version, and then with the creator of the title-role, Galli-Marié, and some of the more earthy elements restored.

In 1884 he prepared to bring Lohengrin to the Parisian stage, visiting Vienna to study a production there, but was eventually forced by a virulent press campaign to abandon his plan in early 1886.

[4] After the burning of the Salle Favart in 1887, which caused the death of 84 persons, he was held responsible,[2] condemned for negligence and imprisoned.