Léon Jehin (17 July 1853 – 14 February 1928) was a conductor and composer, especially associated with the opera house in Monte Carlo.[1] He composed the national anthem of Monaco.
Life and career
Jehin was born in Spa, Belgium. He studied at the conservatoire in Liege and then in Brussels. He was a violinist at La Monnaie in the Belgian capital and conducted at Anvers, Aix-les-Bains, and the Royal Opera House.[1] In 1889, when he was an assistant conductor in Brussels, he succeeded Arthur Steck as the conductor of the Monte Carlo Opera in Monaco, a position he held until his death. His first performance there was of Mireille by Charles Gounod.[2]
In addition to conducting the main repertoire at the Monte Carlo opera, he conducted the premieres of the following operas:
- Hulda (Franck) 8 March 1894
- La jacquerie (Édouard Lalo and Arthur Coquard) 9 May 1895
- Ghiselle (Franck) 30 March 1896
- Messaline (Isidore de Lara) 21 March 1899
- Le jongleur de Notre-Dame (Massenet) 18 February 1902
- Chérubin (Massenet) 14 February 1905
- L'ancêtre (Saint-Saëns) 24 February 1906
- Don Procopio (Bizet) 10 March 1906
- Thérèse (Massenet) 7 February 1907
- Don Quichotte (Massenet) 19 February 1910
- Déjanire (Saint-Saëns) 14 March 1911
- Roma (Massenet) 17 February 1912
- Pénélope (Fauré) 4 March 1913
- Cléopâtre (Massenet) 23 February 1914
- Béatrice (Messager) 21 March 1914
- Amadis (Massenet) 1 April 1922
In 1889 he married the mezzo-soprano Blanche Deschamps, with whom he had worked in Brussels.[2]
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.[3] He died in Monaco, aged 74. In 1953, a centennial concert was held in his memory in the Monte Carlo Casino.[1]
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 Océanographique, 1909), and a Suite symphonique (1921).[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Favre G. Histoire Musicale de la Principauté de Monaco du XVIe au XXe siècle. Éditions des Archives du Palais Princier, Monaco/Éditions A et J Picard, Paris, 1974.
- 1 2 Walsh T J. Monte Carlo opera, 1879–1909. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1975.
- ↑ 'Computerised Archival Retrieval in Multimedia Enhanced Networking' - The digital opera archives of La Monnaie. http://carmen.demunt.be/ accessed 5 August 2011.