Léon Jehin
Encyclopedia
Léon Jehin, born Spa
, Belgium 17 July 1853, died Monaco
14 February 1928, was a conductor
and composer, especially associated with musical life and the opera house in Monte Carlo.
in the Belgian capital, then conducted at Anvers, Aix-les-Bains and Covent Garden. Having become an assistant conductor in Brussels, from 1889 until his death he was appointed the conductor of the Monte Carlo Opera
in succession to Arthur Steck. His first performance there was leading Mireille
.
As well as conducting the central repertoire at the Monte Carlo opera, he conducted the premieres of the following operas:
In 1910 at La Monnaie Jehin conducted Don Quichotte
with the premiere cast and the Monte Carlo orchestra, as well as Ivan le terrible (premiere), and Le vieil aigle by Raoul Gunsbourg
.
In 1889 he married the mezzo-soprano Blanche Deschamps
, with whom he had worked in Brussels. In 1953 a centennial concert was held in his memory in the Casino.
, 1909) and a Suite symphonique (1921).
Spa, Belgium
Spa is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liège. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountain chain, some southeast of Liège, and southwest of Aachen. As of 1 January 2006, Spa had a total population of 10,543...
, Belgium 17 July 1853, died Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
14 February 1928, was a conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and composer, especially associated with musical life and the opera house in Monte Carlo.
Life and career
Jehin studied at the conservatoire in Liege and then in Brussels. He was a violinist at La MonnaieLa Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
in the Belgian capital, then conducted at Anvers, Aix-les-Bains and Covent Garden. Having become an assistant conductor in Brussels, from 1889 until his death he was appointed the conductor of the Monte Carlo Opera
Opéra de Monte-Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house located in the principality of Monaco.With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des Bains de Mer, decided on the construction of an opera house. Initially, it was Charles III's...
in succession to Arthur Steck. His first performance there was leading Mireille
Mireille (opera)
Mireille is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Michel Carré after Frédéric Mistral's poem Mireio.-Composition history:...
.
As well as conducting the central repertoire at the Monte Carlo opera, he conducted the premieres of the following operas:
- HuldaHulda (opera)Hulda is an opera by César Franck to a French libretto by Charles Grandmougin. It is set in 11th-century Norway, and is based on the play Lame Hulda by Norwegian writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. The complete opera contains a prologue, three acts and an epilogue.It was first performed in an...
(Franck) 8 March 1894 - GhiselleGhiselleGhiselle is an opera by César Franck to a Merovingian-themed French libretto by the novelist Gilbert-Augustin Thierry, son of Amédée Thierry...
(Franck) 30 March 1896 - Le jongleur de Notre-DameLe jongleur de Notre-DameLe jongleur de Notre-Dame is an opera in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Maurice Léna. It was first performed in Monte Carlo on 18 February 1902.-History:...
(Massenet) 18 February 1902 - ChérubinChérubinChérubin is an opera in three acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Francis de Croisset and Henri Cain after de Croisset's play of the same name...
(Massenet) 14 February 1905 - Don ProcopioDon ProcopioDon Procopio is a two-act opera buffa by Georges Bizet with an Italian libretto completed in 1859, and first performed in 1906.-Background:Bizet spent three years in Italy, 1857 to 1860, as winner of the Prix de Rome...
(Bizet) 10 March 1906 - ThérèseThérèse (opera)Thérèse is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie. It was first performed at the Opéra in Monte Carlo on 7 February 1907, with Lucy Arbell in the title role...
(Massenet) 7 February 1907 - Don QuichotteDon QuichotteDon Quichotte is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn.Massenet's comédie-héroïque, like so many other dramatized versions of the story of Don Quixote, relates only indirectly to the great novel by Miguel de Cervantes...
(Massenet) 19 February 1910 - DéjanireDéjanireDéjanire is an opera in 4 acts composed by Camille Saint-Saëns to a libretto in French by Louis Gallet and Camille Saint-Saëns. The last of Saint-Saëns' operas, it premiered on 14 March 1911 at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo...
(Saint-Saëns) 14 March 1911 - RomaRoma (opera)Roma is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Cain based on the play Rome vaincue by Alexandre Parodi. It was first performed at the Opéra in Monte Carlo on February 17, 1912....
(Massenet) 17 February 1912 - PénélopePénélopePénélope is an opera in three acts by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. The libretto, by René Fauchois, is based on Homer's Odyssey. It was first performed at the Salle Garnier, Monte Carlo on 4 March 1913.-Background and performance history:...
(Fauré) 4 March 1913 - CléopâtreCléopâtreCléopâtre is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Payen. It was first performed in at the Opéra Monte-Carlo on February 23, 1914, nearly two years after Massenet's death....
(Massenet) 23 February 1914 - AmadisAmadis (Massenet)Amadis is an opera in three acts with prologue by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie based on the Spanish knight-errantry romance Amadis de Gaula, originally of Portuguese origin, by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo....
(Massenet) 1 April 1922
In 1910 at La Monnaie Jehin conducted Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn.Massenet's comédie-héroïque, like so many other dramatized versions of the story of Don Quixote, relates only indirectly to the great novel by Miguel de Cervantes...
with the premiere cast and the Monte Carlo orchestra, as well as Ivan le terrible (premiere), and Le vieil aigle by Raoul Gunsbourg
Raoul Gunsbourg
Raoul Samuel Gunsbourg was a Jewish-Romania-born opera director, impresario, composer and writer...
.
In 1889 he married the mezzo-soprano Blanche Deschamps
Blanche Deschamps-Jéhin
Blanche Deschamps-Jéhin was a French operatic contralto who had a prolific career in France from 1879-1905. She possessed a rich-toned and flexible voice that had a wide vocal range...
, with whom he had worked in Brussels. In 1953 a centennial concert was held in his memory in the Casino.
Compositions
Jehin’s compositions include a Hymne à la Charte for soloists, chorus and orchestra (Monte-Carlo, 1889), Scherzo symphonique (1902), Intermezzo for horn and orchestra (1909), a Marche Inaugurale (for the opening of the Musée OcéanographiqueOceanographic Museum
The Oceanographic Museum is a museum of marine sciences in Monaco-Ville, Monaco.- History :The Oceanographic Museum was inaugurated in 1910 by Monaco's modernist reformer, Prince Albert I. This monumental architectural work of art has an impressive façade above the sea, towering over the sheer...
, 1909) and a Suite symphonique (1921).