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Opera and ballet company of France

The Paris Opera (, opeʁa də paʁi) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra, and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the Académie Royale de Musique, but continued to be known more simply as the Opéra. Classical ballet as it is known today arose within the Paris Opera as the Paris Opera Ballet and has remained an integral and important part of the company. Currently called the Opéra national de Paris, it mainly produces operas at its modern 2,723 seat theatre Opéra Bastille which opened in 1989, and ballets and some classical operas at the older 1,979 seat Palais Garnier which opened in 1875. Small scale and contemporary works are also staged in the 500 seat Amphitheatre under the Opéra Bastille. The company's annual budget is in the order of 200 million euros, of which €100M come from the French state and €70M from box office receipts. With this money, the company runs the two houses and supports a large permanent staff, which includes the orchestra of 170, a chorus of 110 and the corps de ballet of 150. Each year, the Paris Opera presents about 380 performances of opera, ballet and other concerts, to a total audience of about 800,000 people (of whom 17% come from abroad), with an average seat occupancy rate of 94%.

The poet Pierre Perrin began thinking and writing about the possibility of French opera in 1655, more than a decade before the official founding of the Paris Opera as an institution. He believed that the prevailing opinion of the time that the French language was fundamentally unmusical was completely incorrect. Seventeenth century France offered Perrin essentially two types of organization for realizing his vision: a royal academy or a public theater. In 1666 he proposed to the minister Colbert that "the king decree 'the establishment of an Academy of Poetry and Music' whose goal would be to synthesize the French language and French music into an entirely new lyric form." Even though Perrin's original concept was of an academy devoted to discussions of French opera, the king's intention was in fact a unique hybrid of royal academy and public theatre, with an emphasis on the latter as an institution for performance. On 28 June 1669, Louis XIV signed the Privilège accordé au Sieur Perrin pour l'établissement d'une Académie d'Opéra en musique, & Vers François (Privilege granted to Sir Perrin for the establishment of an Academy of Opera in music, & French Verse). The wording of the privilège, based in part on Perrin's own writings, gave him the exclusive right for 12 years to found anywhere in France academies of opera dedicated to the performance of opera in French. He was free to select business partners of his choice and to set the price of tickets. No one was to have the right of free entry including members of the royal court, and no one else could set up a similar institution. Although it was to be a public theatre, it retained its status as royal academy in which the authority of the king as the primary stakeholder was decisive. The monopoly, originally intended to protect the enterprise from competition during its formative phase, was renewed for subsequent recipients of the privilege up to the early French Revolution. As Victoria Johnson points out, "the Opera was an organization by nature so luxurious and expensive in its productions that its very survival depended on financial protection and privilege." Perrin converted the Bouteille tennis court, located on the Rue des Fossés de Nesles (now 42 Rue Mazarine), into a rectangular facility with provisions for stage machinery and scenery changes and a capacity of about 1200 spectators.

The institution was renamed the Académie Royale de Musique and came to be known in France simply as the Opéra. Within one month Lully had convinced the king to expand the privilege by restricting the French and Italian comedians to using two singers rather than six, and six instrumentalists, rather than twelve. Because of legal difficulties Lully could not use the Salle de la Bouteille, and a new theatre was built by Carlo Vigarani at the Bel Air tennis court on the Rue de Vaugirard. Later, Lully and his successors bitterly negotiated the concession of the privilege, in whole or in part, from the entrepreneurs in the provinces: in 1684 Pierre Gautier bought the authorisation to open a music academy in Marseille, then the towns of Lyon, Rouen, Lille and Bordeaux followed suit in the following years. During Lully's tenure, the only works performed were his own. The first productions were the pastorale Les fêtes de l'Amour et de Bacchus (November 1672) and his first tragedie lyrique called Cadmus et Hermione (27 April 1673). Richelieu's theatre had been designed by Jacques Le Mercier and had opened in 1641, and unlike the huge theatre at the Tuileries Palace, which could accommodate 6,000 to 8,000 spectators, was of a size consistent with good acoustics. Lully greatly desired a better theatre and persuaded the king to let him use the one at the Palais Royal free of charge. The Théâtre du Palais Royal had been altered in 1660 and 1671, but Lully, with 3,000 livres received from the king, had further changes made by Vigarani in 1674. During Lully's time at the Opéra, performances were given all year, except for three weeks at Easter. Regular performances were on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The premieres presented at court were usually during Carnival and were moved to the Palais Royal after Easter, where the openings were on Thursdays. About two to three new works were mounted each year. In all, thirteen of Lully's tragédie en musique were performed there (see the list of compositions by Jean Baptiste Lully).

After Lully died (in 1687), the number of new works per year almost doubled, since his successors (Pascal Collasse, Henri Desmarets, André Campra, André Cardinal Destouches, and Marin Marais) had greater difficulty sustaining the interest of the public. Revivals of Lully's works were common. French composers at the Opéra generally wrote music to new librettos, which had to be approved by the directors of the company. The Italian practice of preparing new settings of existing librettos was considered controversial and did not become the norm in Paris until around 1760. One of the most important of the new works during this period was an opéra ballet by Campra called L'Europe galante presented in 1697. From 1680 until Lully's death, it was under the direction of the great dancing master Pierre Beauchamp, the man who codified the five positions of the feet. When Lully took over the Opéra in 1672, he and Beauchamp made theatrical ballet an important part of the company's productions. The ballet of that time was merely an extension of the opera, having yet to evolve into an independent form of theatrical art. As it became more important, however, the dance component of the company began to be referred to as the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1713 an associated ballet school was opened, today known as the Paris Opera Ballet School. The Académie Royale de Danse remained separate, and with the fall of the monarchy in 1789 it disappeared.

With the French Revolution and the founding of the Republic, the company changed names several times, dropping its association with the royal family (see the List of official company names for details), and in 1794, moved into the Théâtre National de la rue de la Loi (capacity 2800) where it took the name Théâtre des Arts. In 1797, it was renamed the Théâtre de la République et des Arts. With the Restoration in 1814, the company was renamed the Académie Royale de Musique. It became part of the Académie des Beaux Arts in 1816. In 1821, the company moved to the Salle Le Peletier, which had a capacity of 1900 spectators and where it remained until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. In the second half of the 19th century, with the ascension of Napoleon III in 1851, the name Académie Impériale de Musique was reinstated and after 1870 with the formation of the Third Republic, was changed to Théâtre National de l'Opéra. Between 1908 and 1914 Henri Benjamin Rabaud conducted at Palais Garnier. Rabaud also composed several works which first premiered at Opéra Comique, but were later also performed at Palais Garnier. In 1939, the Opéra was merged with the Opéra Comique and the company name became Réunion des Théâtres Lyriques Nationaux. The Opéra Comique was closed in 1972 with the appointment of Rolf Liebermann as general administrator of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris (1973–1980), but in 1976, the Opéra Comique was restored. In 1990, the Opéra moved its primary venue to the new Opéra Bastille, becoming the Opéra de Paris, although it continued to mount productions, primarily ballet, at the Palais Garnier; and the Opéra Comique regained its autonomy. In 1994 the Opéra de Paris became the Opéra National de Paris. Regardless of all the changes in its "official" name, the company and its theatres were commonly referred to as the Opéra. The current managing director of the Opéra is Alexander Neef, since September 2020. Past principal conductors and music directors of the Opéra have included Myung whun Chung, James Conlon and Philippe Jordan. In April 2021, the Opéra announced the appointment of Gustavo Dudamel as its next music director, effective 1 August 2021, with an initial contract of 6 seasons. In May 2023, Dudamel announced his resignation music director of the Opéra, effective August 2023.

Date Official name Notes Ref 28 June 1669 Académie d'Opéra Perrin granted license by Louis XIV 29 June 1791 Académie de Musique Louis XVI returns to Paris (25 June) 2 February 1797 Théâtre de la République et des Arts 10 August 1830 Académie Royale de Musique July Monarchy 14 January 1939 Réunion des Théâtres Lyriques Nationaux Opéra takes control of Opéra Comique eventually demolished. Salle du Bel Air 10? November 1672 – June 1673 Located on the Rue de Vaugirard; also called Jeu de Paume de Béquet; Salle du Palais Royal (1st) 16 June 1673 – 6 April 1763 Built 1641; altered 1660, 1671, and 1674; destroyed by fire 6 April 1763. Salle des Tuileries 24 January 1764 – 23 January 1770 Remodeled first to a much smaller theatre by Soufflot. Salle du Palais Royal (2nd) 26 January 1770 – 8 June 1781 Destroyed by fire 8 June 1781. Salle des Menus Plaisirs 14 August – 23 October 1781 Located on the Rue Bergère; former theatre of the Opéra Comique of the Foire St. Laurent; eventually demolished. Théâtre de la Porte Saint Martin 27 October 1781 – 7 March 1794 Built in two months by Samson Nicholas Lenoir at the request of Marie Antoinette. Salle Louvois 25 May – 15 June 1821 Built in 1791; the company performed there 3 times: 25 May, and 1 and 15 June. Palais Garnier 5 January 1875 – 29 June 1936 Designed by Charles Garnier; located at the Place de l'Opéra. Théâtre des Champs Élysées 30 November 1936 – 17 February 1937 Performed at this theatre while the Palais Garnier was under renovation.

Start date Name Administration 28 June 1669  Pierre Perrin Royal Household 30 March 1672  Jean Baptiste Lully 27 June 1687  Jean Nicolas de Francine 30 December 1688  Jean Nicolas de Francine, Hyacinthe de Gauréault Dumont 7 October 1704  Pierre Guyenet 12 December 1712  Jean Nicolas de Francine, Hyacinthe de Gauréault Dumont 8 February 1728  André Cardinal Destouches 1 June 1730  Maximilien Claude Gruer 18 August 1731  Claude Lecomte (Opera director) Lebœuf 30 May 1733  Eugène de Thuret 18 March 1744  Jean François Berger 3 May 1748  Joseph Guénot de Tréfontaine 25 August 1749  Louis Basile de Bernage, Marquis d'Argenson, then François Rebeland François Francœur City of Paris 1754  Joseph Nicolas Pancrace Royer 1755  Bontemps, Levasseur 13 March 1757  François Rebel, François Francœur Royal Household 9 February 1767  Pierre Montan Berton, Jean Claude Trial 9 November 1769  Pierre Montan Berton, Jean Claude Trial,Antoine Dauvergne, Joliveau City of Paris 18 April 1776  Direction by the Royal Commissioners Royal Commissioners 18 October 1777  Jacques de Vismes 19 February 1779  City of Paris 19 March 1780  Pierre Montan BertonRoyal Accountant 27 May 1780  Antoine Dauvergne, François Joseph Gossec 8 April 1790  City of Paris 8 March 1792  Louis Joseph Francœur, Jacques Cellerier(under committee headed by J. J. Leroux) Paris Commune (French First Republic) 17 September 1793  Committee of the Commune (with François Lays) 1 May 1797  Committee of the Commune 12 September 1799 Jacques Devisme (formerly Jacques de Vismes du Valgay),Joseph Bonet de Treyches 13 March 1800  Jacques Devisme 25 December 1800  Joseph Bonet de Treyches 19 December 1801  Jacques Cellerier 26 November 1802  Prefect Étienne Morel de Chefdeville, thenJoseph Bonet de Treyches as DirectorPrefects of the Palace 1 November 1807  Louis Benoit Picard Imperial Superintendents 3 April 1814  Royal Superintendents 18 January 1816  Denis Pierre Jean Papillon de la Ferté 30 March 1817  Alexandre Étienne Choron 30 October 1819  Giovanni Battista Viotti 1 November 1821  François Antoine Habeneck 26 November 1824  Raphaël Duplantys 12 July 1827  Émile Timothée Lubbert 2 March 1831  Louis Désiré Véron Franchised entrepreneurshipwith state subvention 15 August 1835  Henri Duponchel 15 November 1839  Henri Duponchel, Édouard Monnais 1 June 1840 Henri Duponchel, Édouard Monnais, Léon Pillet 1 June 1841 Henri Duponchel, Léon Pillet October 1841 Léon Pillet 1 August 1847 Léon Pillet, Henri Duponchel, Nestor Roqueplan 24 November 1847 Henri Duponchel, Nestor Roqueplan 21 November 1849  Nestor Roqueplan 1 July 1854  Imperial Household(Civil List) 11 November 1854  François Louis Crosnier 1 July 1856  Alphonse Royer 20 December 1862  Émile Perrin 11 April 1866  Franchised entrepreneurshipwith state subvention 1 October 1870  State administration 28 October 1870  Society of Artistswith state subvention 9 May 1871  Eugène Garnier 3 July 1871  Émile Perrin 9 July 1871  Hyacinthe Halanzier 1 November 1871  Private entrepreneurshipwith state subvention 16 July 1879  Auguste Vaucorbeil 1 December 1884  Eugène Ritt, Pedro Gailhard 1 January 1892  Eugène Bertrand, Édouard Colonne 1 April 1893  Eugène Bertrand, Pedro Gailhard 31 December 1899  Pedro Gailhard 1907  Pedro Gailhard, Pierre Barthélemy Gheusi 1 January 1908  Leimistin Broussan, André Messager 1 January 1915 Jacques Rouché 14 January 1939  State administration:Réunion des Théâtres Lyrique Nationaux(Opéra and Opéra Comiquemerged under oneadministration, RTLN) 1940  Jacques Rouché (RTLN), Philippe Gaubert (Opéra) 1942  Jacques Rouché (RTLN), Marcel Samuel Rousseau (Opéra) 21 February 1945  René Gadave (interim administrator) 27 June 1945  Maurice Lehmann (RTLN), Reynaldo Hahn (Opéra) 12 May 1946  Georges Hirsch (RTLN), Henri Büsser (Opéra) 17 November 1951  Maurice Lehmann (RTLN), Emmanuelle Bondville (Opéra) 30 September 1955  Jacques Ibert (RTLN), Emmanuelle Bondville (Opéra) 13 April 1956  Georges Hirsch (RTLN), Emmanuelle Bondville (Opéra) August 1959  A. M. Julien (RTLN), Emmanuelle Bondville (Opéra) 19 April 1962  Georges Auric (RTLN), Emmanuelle Bondville (Opéra) September 1968  André Chabaud (interim director) 1 October 1969  René Nicoly 23 May 1971  Jean Yves Daniel Lesur (RTLN),Bernard Lefort (Opéra) 1 January 1972  Rolf Liebermann (Opéra Comique closed) 7 February 1978  Théâtre National del'Opéra de Paris 31 July 1980  Bernard Lefort September 1982  Interim committee: Paul Puaux [fr] Jean Pierre Leclerc [fr],Alain Lombard, Georges François Hirsch 1 August 1983  Massimo Bogianckino 24 September 1985  12 February 1986  Jean Louis Martinoty 13 July 1989  (Opéra Bastille opens) 1 September 1989  Jean Albert Cartier(general administrator of the Palais Garnier) 2 April 1990  Pierre Bergé (president) Opéra de Paris(Opéra Comique reopens) 15 May 1991  Georges François Hirsch(general administrator of the Palais Garnier) 1 September 1992  Brigitte Lefèvre(general administrator of the Palais Garnier) 5 February 1994  Opéra National de Paris 15 February 1994  Jean Paul Cluzel (inspector general of finances) 1 August 1995  Hugues Gall September 2004  Gerard Mortier 1 August 2009  Nicolas Joel 1 August 2014  Stéphane Lissner 1 September 2020  Alexander Neef

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