Louis-Désiré Véron (1798-1867)

Major partners of the Paris Opera’s 350th anniversary

Major partners of
the Paris Opera’s 350th anniversary

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Abbé Perrin (Director of...

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Directors, ballet masters, stage directors, choreographers, architects, ... Octave discovers the personalities that have marked the history of the Opera which continues to attract the great names of music and dance.

Trained doctor, Louis-Désiré Véron made his fortune with cough drops. He then began a career as journalist, publishing political articles in newspapers like La Quotidienne as well as writing theatre reviews in Le Messager des Chambres. In 1839 he founded the magazine La Revue de Paris (known today as La Revue des Deux Mondes) where he published serial novels and came up with the famous “in the next issue” concept. In his columns he also explored artistic and financial issues of the theatre world, with a special focus on the Paris Opera…

From 1831 to 1835 Véron was nominated Director of the Paris Opera, becoming the first “manager-owner” of the institution, as he managed it to his own profits under the control (and subsidy) of the State. He opened the doors to talented artists such as composers Meyerbeer, Auber, and Halévy, or librettists like Casimir Delavigne. He launched the career of great singers (e.g., Adolphe Nourrit and Cornélie Falcon) and created a new opera genre: the Grand Opera. An example of this genre is Robert the Devil, an opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer from a libretto written by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne. It premiered on November 21, 1831 at the Salle Le Peletier and was an immediate success. All the performances were hailed by the public. La Sylphide, based on a Nourrit’s libretto and premiered in March 14, 1832 with Maria Taglioni performing the main role was also a triumph. During his term, Véron often presented Le Comte Ory, La Muette de Portici, Guillaume Tell, but also revived older works like Armide or La Vestale.