Later, when the suppression of the privileges of the major journals gave more leeway to the enterprise, he became its editor, transforming it into a political newspaper and embracing the liberal cause.
During his time as Commissioner, he cowrote the libretto for the 3-act opera La vendetta with Adolphe Vannois, for which Henri Ruolz-Montchal [fr] provided the music.
[7] On 1 June 1840,[9] as a political favor, Pillet, who was "neither an artist nor a true entrepreneur",[2] was appointed to a co-directorship of the Paris Opera, where he joined the already resident director, Henri Duponchel.
The two men quarreled, and Duponchel withdrew in October 1841,[10] leaving Pillet as sole director, which probably led the German composer Richard Wagner to say that the Opera was run by "political appointees, as a reward.
"[2] Wagner sold Pillet the sketch of his opera The Flying Dutchman for 500 francs, but was unable to convince him that the music was worth producing.
[11] Pillet used Wagner's idea to produce a new opera, Le vaisseau fantôme, with music by Pierre-Louis Dietsch (libretto by Paul Foucher), which failed to please.