Michel Roux (1 September 1924, in
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
– 4 February 1998, in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
[Goodwin N. Michel Roux. In: ''New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', ed Sadie S. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.]) was a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
, an established principal at the
Paris Opéra who also enjoyed an international career.
Life and Career
Roux was the son of a printer for medicinal packaging and worked with his father. As a rugby player, he often sang at post-match meals. His father encouraged him to take vocal training, which he began after having broken an arm during a match. Roux studied at the
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
Conservatoire and in Paris, making his operatic debut on 5 October 1949 in ''
Lakmé'' at the
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...
, going on to sing in ''
Les Contes d'Hoffmann'', ''
Manon
''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...
'' and ''
Pelléas and Mélisande'', creating l'Aveugle in ''Madame Bovary'' in 1951, and remaining a principal singer there until 1955.
His debut at
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
came in 1953 as Golaud, a role that became central to his repertory. From 1956 to 1970 Roux sang annually at
Glyndebourne, making his debut as Count Almaviva in ''Le Nozze di Figaro.'' His American debut was at the
Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1959; he also appeared at the
Vienna Staatsoper and the
Deutsche Oper in Berlin, as well as in Amsterdam, Brussels, and Lisbon.
[Obituary: Michel Roux. New York Times, 9 February 1998.]
Roux was known as an intelligent singer and a vivid stage actor.
In later life he taught at the
École Normale de Musique de Paris.
In 1983 he took the title role in a revival of Christiné's ''
Phi-Phi
''Phi-Phi'' is an opérette légère in three acts with music by Henri Christiné and a French libretto by Albert Willemetz and Fabien Solar. The piece was one which founded the new style of French comédie musicale, the first to really use the la ...
'' at the
Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens.
[Gänzl K, Lamb A. ''Gänzl's Book of the Musical Theatre.'' The Bodley Head, London, 1988.]
His many recordings include: Raimbaud (''
Le Comte Ory''), Escamillo (''
Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...
''), Golaud (''Pelléas et Mélisande''), Mizgir (''
The Snow Maiden''), Gondremarck (''
La Vie parisienne''), Calchas (''
La belle Hélène''), and Mephistophélès (''
La damnation de Faust'').
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roux, Michel
1924 births
1998 deaths
French operatic baritones
20th-century French male opera singers