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Opéra royal du château de Versailles

Bird’s-eye view of the gardens of Versailles, 19th century
Information about the Royal Opera at Versailles
Decorator	Augustin PAJOU
Construction dates	1763-1770
Date of inauguration	23 May 1770
Inaugural occasion	Marriage of the dauphin (future Louis XVI) with archduchess Marie-Antoinette of Austria
Seating, as a theater	712
Accommodation as salle de spectacle	1,200
Construction material	Wood
Central ceiling painting	“Apollo and the Muses” by Louis Jean Jacques Durameau
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Evolving from theaters of the 17th century, the Opéra Royal at Versailles, can be regarded as the culmination of a history of theaters at Versailles.

During the early years of Louis XIV’s personal rule, theaters were often temporary structures, built for a particular event and destroyed after their use. The first such theater was constructed for the fête of the “Plaisirs de l’Île Enchantée”, which was held in 1664. In the area west of what is now the Bassin d’Apollon, a temporary theater was constructed in which Molière’s Princesse d’Élide débuted on 8 May. During this fête an additional theater was erected inside the chateau for the presentation of 3 other plays by Molière: Les Fâcheux, Le Mariage Forcé, and Tartuffe, which premiered in an incomplete, albeit contentious, form. None of these theaters survived this fête. (Verlet, 54-59)

The “Grand Divertissment royal” of 1668, which celebrated the end of the War of Devolution, witnessed the construction of a luxurious temporary theater built in the gardens on the site of the future Bassin de Bacchus. Despite its construction in papier-mâché, which was either gilded or painted to resemble marble and lapis lazuli, the theater seated 1,200 spectators who attended the debut of Molière’s George Dandin on 18 July, 1668. As with the Plaisirs de l’Île EnchantéeI, this theater was destroyed shortly after the end of the fête. (Verlet, 70-72) The third fête held during the first decade of Louis XIV personal reign, Les Divertissments de Versailles was held in 1674 to celebrate the second conquest of the Franche-Comté. The fête – or, more accurately a series of six fêtes – took place in July and August and featured a number of theatrical productions that were staged throughout the grounds in temporary theaters. On 4 July, Lully’s Alceste was performed for the court in the Cour de Marbre; on 11 July, Quinault’s L'Églogue de Versailles was staged near the Trianon de Porcelaine; eight days later, the Grotte de Thétys served as the setting for Molière’s Malade Imaginaire; and Racine’s Iphigénie debuted on 18 August in a theater constructed in the Orangerie. (Verlet, 117-119)

In spite of the need for a permanent theater at Versailles, it would not be until 1681 that a permanent structure would be built. In that year, the Comptes des Bâtiments du Roi record payments for a theater that was constructed on the ground floor of the chateau between the corps de logis and the Aile de Midi. The interior of the theater – known as the salle de la Comédie – contained a semi-circle of row seating with loges set into the bays of the lateral walls. On the south wall of the theater, abutting the wall of the Escalier des Princes, was the royal tribune, which contained a central room octagonal loge and two smaller loges on either side. (Verlet, 281; Coyeman, 22-37) The salle de la Comédie would function as a de facto permanent theater at Versailles until 1769, when it was destroyed in order to provide direct access to the gardens from the Cour Royale. (Verlet, 361-362)^[1]

The salle de la Comédie was designed for stage plays; accordingly, Versailles lacked a theater in which more elaborate productions could be staged. For larger productions, the grand manège (the covered riding arena) in the Grand Écurie was converted for more elaborate entertainments, but the space had limitations. In 1685, Louis XIV approved plans for the construction of a larger permanent theater that could the more elaborate productions, such the Tragédie à Machine. (Verlet, 283)

The Tragédie à Machine – a theatrical presentation that used ballet, opera, and special staging effects required a theater that could accommodate the complicated machinery used in the production of these plays. The Salle des Machines at the Tuileries palace in Paris, designed by Carlo Vigarani, was the closest to Versailles; however, with Louis XIV’s dislike for Paris – due in large part to his flight from the Tuileries in 1651 – and his increasing wish to keep his court at Versailles, the king approved the construction of a larger theater in 1685. With a plan more grandiose than the theater of the Tuileries, the construction of this new theater was much lauded by contemporary descriptions of Versailles. (Félibien, 208)

Construction was planned for the northern end of the Aile des Nobles, and was well underway when the War of the League of Augsburg, which began in 1688, halted – permanently – construction. It would not be until the reign of Louis XV that construction on this site would resume.

With the return of the court to Versailles in 1722, spaces used by Louis XIV were once again pressed into service for the needs of the court. In 1729, as part of the festivities in celebration of the birth of the dauphin, the cour de Marbre saw the construction of a temporary theater. The salle de la Comédie and the Manège of the Grand Écurie continued to be used as they had during the reign of Louis XIV [photo]. However, owing to Louis XV proclivity for more a more intimate theater, a number of temporary theaters known as the théâtres des cabinets were created. These theaters were most often constructed in one of the rooms of the petit appartement du roi, with the petite galerie being the most frequently used starting from 1746. In 1748, the Escalier des ambassadeurs was converted into a theater, in which the Marquise de Pompadour staged and acted in a number of plays. Two years later, the theater was dismantled when the Escalier des ambassadeurs was destroyed for the construction of the appartement de Madame Adélaïde. (Verlet, 366-369)

Acutely aware of the need for a larger and more permanent theater, as early as the 1740s Louis XV, as early as the 1740s, seriously considered reviving Louis XIV’s plans for a permanent salle de spectacle to be constructed at the northern end of the Aile de Nobles. However, owing to the Seven Years’ War, construction would not be able to commence for nearly 20 years. When fire destroyed the Grand Écurie and the theater of the Manège in 1751, and since the salle de la Comédie had become an unfeasible venue due to its size for theatrical productions, Louis XV finally authorized Ange-Jacques Gabriel to design the Opéra in 1763. (Verlet, 377) Construction work on the Opéra began in earnest in 1765 and was completed in 1770; at the time, it represented the finest example in theater design — having 712 seats, it was the largest theater in Europe at the time — and today remains one of the few 18th century theaters to have survived to the modern day. Lully’s Persée inaugurated the Opéra on 16 May 1770 in celebration of the marriage of the dauphin — the future Louis XVI — with Marie-Antoinette.

Opéra Royale de Versailles. View from the royal box.

Gabriel’s design for the Opéra was unique for the time as it featured an oval plan. As an economy measure, the floor of the orchestra level can be raised to the level the stage, thus doubling the floor space. It was planned that the Opéra should serve not only as a theater, but as ballroom or banqueting hall as well.^[2] Built entirely of wood, which is painted in faux marbre to represent stone, the Opéra has excellent acoustics and represents one of the finest examples of neo-classical decoration. The theme of the decoration is related to Apollo and the Olympian deities. The decoration of the Opéra was directed by Augustin Pajou, who executed the bas-reliefs panels that decorate the front of the loges. The ceiling features a canvas by Louis Jean Jacques Durameau in which Apollo and the Muses are depicted. (Verlet, 379-380)

Ceiling of the Opéra Royale de Versailles. Louis-Jean-Jacques Durameau, “Apollo preparing the crowns for illustrious Men of the Arts” ca. 1770

In spite of the excellent acoustics and the opulent setting, the Opéra was not often used during the reign of Louis XVI, largely on grounds of costs. However, for those occasions when the Opéra was used, they became events of the day. Some of the more memorable uses of the Opéra during the reign of Louis XVI included:

• 1777: 5 May – Revival of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Castor et Pollux for the visit of Joseph II, Marie-Antoinette’s brother.
• 1782: 23 May – Revival of la Reine de Golconde by Michel-Jean Sedaine; 29 May – Revival of Christoph Willibald Glück’s opera, Iphigénie en Aulide and the revival of Maximilien Gardel’s ballet Ninette à la Cour; 8 June dress ball held in honor of the visit of the comte and comtess du Nord – the Grand Duke Paul and Grand Duchess of Marie of Russia who were traveling incognito.^[3]
• 1784: 14 June – Revival of Glück’s Armide for the visit of Gustavus III of Sweden. (Verlet, 554-555)

The Opéra Royale de Versailles converted for the use of the Sénat of the III^rd Republic, ca. 1876

When the royal family left Versailles in October 1789, the château and the Opéra were closed. While the château did see some activity under Napoléon I (redecoration of the parts of the queen’s apartment for the empress Marie-Louise) and Louis XVIII, the Opéra did not reopen again until 1837, when Louis-Philippe redecorated the theater and presented Molière’s Le Misanthrope. In 1872, during the Commune de Paris, the Opéra was converted by Edmond de Joly for use by the Assemblée nationale, who used the Opéra until 1876; between 1876 and 1879, the Sénat convened here.^[4] 1952-1957 witnessed major restoration of the Opéra when it was restored to its 1770 state. The Opéra officially reopened 9 April 1957 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, with a presentation of Act II of Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes. Since its restoration, the Opéra has been pressed into service for state functions as well as a variety of operatic and musical events.

[edit] Sources

• Coyeman, Barbara. “Theaters for Opera and Ballet during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV.” Early Music (vol. 18, no. 1): 22-37.
• Félibien, Jean-François. Description sommaire de Versailles ancienne et nouvelle. (Paris, 1703).
• Nolhac, Pierre de. Histoire de Versailles. 3 vol. (Paris, 1911).
• Marie, Alfred and Jeanne. Versailles au temps de Louis XV. (Paris, 19840).
• Piganiol de la Force. Nouvelle description des châteaux et parcs de Versailles et Marly. (Paris, 1701).
• Verlet, Pierre. Le Château de Versailles. (Paris, 1985).

[edit] Notes