Renaud (real name, Cronean), Maurice (Arnold)
Renaud (real name, Cronean), Maurice (Arnold)
Renaud (real name, Cronean ), Maurice (Arnold) , distinguished French baritone; b. Bordeaux, July 24, 1861; d. Paris, Oct. 16, 1933. He studied at the Paris Cons. and the Brussels Cons., then sang at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (1883–90) and at the Opéra-Comique in Paris (1890–91). He made his first appearance at the Paris Opéra as Nelusko on July 17, 1891, remaining on its roster until 1902. He then made guest appearances there until 1914, and was also a member of the Monte Carlo Opera (1891–1907). He made his U.S. debut in New Orleans on Jan. 4, 1893; sang at London’s Covent Garden (1897–99; 1902–04), at the Manhattan Opera in N.Y. (1906–07; 1909–10), and again in Brussels (1908–14). He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. as Rigoletto on Nov. 24, 1910, remaining on the company’s roster until 1912. His finest roles included Athanaël in Thaïs, Coppelius, Dapertutto, and Dr. Miracle in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Nevers in Les Huguenots, Lescaut in Manon, Herod in Hérodiade, and Saint- Saëns’s Henry VIII. His non-French roles included Don Giovanni, Wolfram, Jack Rance, Telramund, and Beckmesser. He was among the most convincing dramatic artists of his era.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire