Janine Micheau (17 April 1914 – 18 October 1976) was a French operatic soprano, one of the leading sopranos of her era in France, particularly associated with lyric soprano and coloratura soprano repertory.
Biography
Janine (or Jeanine) Micheau was born in Toulouse, and studied voice at the Conservatoire de Paris. She made her professional debut at the Opéra-Comique on 16 November 1933, as la Plieuse in Louise, following this with Loys in Juif polonais by Camille Erlanger, the neighbour in Angélique by Jacques Ibert and small roles in Lakmé (Miss Rose) and Mireille (Andreloun).[1]
She created the role of Creuse in Darius Milhaud's Médée, for her debut at the Paris Opéra in 1940, also singing in the premiere of his Bolivar (Manuela) in 1950, where she also sang Gilda in Rigoletto, Violetta in La traviata and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, among other roles.[2]
From 1961 she became a voice teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Her final performance was as Pamina in Rouen in May 1968.[3] She died in Paris at the age of 62.
1951 – Massenet – Manon (title role), with de Luca, Roger Bourdin, Giovanetti – Choeur et Orchestre de l'Opéra-Comique, Albert Wolff – Decca
1951 – Honegger – Le Roi David, with Pierre Mollet, Maurice Duruflé, Chorale Elizabeth Brasseur, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française, the composer – Ducretet Thomson
1955 – Stravinsky – Le Rossignol (title role), with Lucien Lovano, Jean Giraudeau, Roux, Bernard Cottret – Choeur et Orchestre de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, André Cluytens – EMI
1956 – Rameau – Platée (La Folie), with Michel Sénéchal, Gedda, Jacques Jansen – Choeurs du Festival d'Aix en Provence, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Hans Rosbaud – EMI
1956 – Milhaud – vocal works : Cantate nuptiale, from Song of Songs; Chansons de Ronsard; Les Quatre Eléments; excerpts from Bolivar; Fontaines et Sources – Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, the composer - Columbia
1957 – Lalo – Le roi d'Ys (Rozenn), with Rita Gorr, Henri Legay, Jean Borthayre – Choeur et Orchestre de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, André Cluytens – EMI
1958 – Debussy mélodies, with Aldo Ciccolini – Columbia
1958 – Van Parys & Parès – Le Moulin sans souci (Johann/Johanna), with Berton, Dens – Choeur et Orchestre de l'Assocation des Concerts Colonne, Paul Bonneau – EMI
1960 – Bizet – Les pêcheurs de perles (Leïla), with Gedda, Blanc, Jacques Mars – Choeur et Orchestre de l'Opéra-Comique, Pierre Dervaux – EMI
On the lighter side, in 1958 Micheau recorded an LP with Paul Bonneau conducting the Chœurs Raymond Saint-Paul and orchestra, including "Fascination", "Oh! La troublante volupté" from La Reine s'amuse (1912) by Charles Cuvillier, Les chemins de l'amour, Les cent vierges (Charles Lecocq), "Moulin rouge", Valse des souvenirs by Wal-Berg, and Messager's "Si j'avais vos ailes", among others.[4]
Sources
^Wolff S. Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900–1950). André Bonne, Paris, 1953.
^Gourret J. Dictionnaire des Cantatrices de l’Opéra. Editions Albatros, Paris, 1987.