Cirque d'été
Encyclopedia
The Cirque d'été a former Parisian equestrian theatre (and a type of indoor hippodrome
), was built in 1841 to designs by the architect Jacques Hittorff. It was used as the summer home of the Théâtre Franconi, the equestrian troupe of the Cirque Olympique, the license for which had been sold in 1836 to Louis Dejean by Adolphe Franconi, the grandson of its founder, Antonio Franconi
. The new theatre was located on the north-east side of the present Rond-Point of the Champs-Élysées
. At first called the Cirque national, it also became known as the Cirque des Champs-Élysées and the Cirque Olympique des Champs-Élysées. In 1853 it was renamed Cirque de l'Impératrice (in honor of the new Empress Eugénie), a name which it retained until the fall of the empire in 1870. Initially devoted exclusively to equestrian performances, it was later also used for other purposes, including grand concerts conducted by Hector Berlioz
. The theatre on the Champs-Élysées should not be confused with the same company's winter theatre, the Cirque Olympique on the boulevard du Temple
, which had opened in 1827, or with the company's later winter theatre, the Cirque Napoléon (on the rue des Filles Calvaires), also built for Louis Dejean and opened in 1852. The latter theatre dropped the name Cirque Napoléon in 1870 and became primarily known as the Cirque d'hiver
(Winter Circus). The theatre on the Champs-Élysées was demolished in 1902.
, and panels on the other sides sported ornamental bas-relief horses' heads designed by Duret
and Bosio. The theatre was spacious and held as many as 4,000 to 6,000 spectators. To the north was a rectangular building which included the stables. The interior was decorated in a Moorish style,and the roof was supported by light iron columns. The ceiling was decorated with compartments enclosing equestrian figures, and a chandelier with 130 gas jets hung over the center of the performance ring, which was surrounded by sixteen rows of seats. The stadium-style seating
was "raked so sharply that those who wished might admire the costumes of fashionable women from head to toe."
at the nearby Festival de l'Industrie during the summer of 1844, engaged the composer for a series of six grand concerts to be presented at the Cirque that winter on Sunday afternoons, a day when no competing ones would be given at the Paris Conservatoire. The contract stipulated that Berlioz would hire and rehearse the orchestra and chorus, select the music, and conduct the performances. Berlioz engaged 350 players and singers for the concerts and held sectional rehearsals at the Salle Herz. Fortunately, Gallois underwrote all the costs.
The first concert on 19 January 1845 included Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto
with Charles Hallé
as the piano soloist, excerpts from Gluck's operas Alceste
and Orphée
, as well as works by Berlioz, including the overture Le carnaval romain, La tour de Nice (the original version of the overture Le corsaire), and the "Dies irae" and "Tuba mirum" from his requiem mass, the Grande Messe des morts
. The latter two excerpts were played at the conclusion of all the concerts.
The second concert on 16 February had the theme séance orientale, in keeping with the decoration of the hall. The program included Félicien David's symphonic ode Le désert
, the Austrian "lion-pianist" Léopold de Meyer playing his Marche marocaine, Op. 22 (subtitled "War-song of the Turks"), and Berlioz's overture to Les francs-juges
. Apparently Meyer's Marche "electrified the audience, and was furiously encored."
The third concert on 16 March was organized around the theme séance russe. There was music by the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka
, who was in Paris at the time and attended the concerts, which included excerpts from his opera A Life for the Tsar
and a ballet from his opera Russlan and Ludmilla. The finale from Berlioz's dramatic symphony Roméo et Juliette had a Russian bass
singing the role of Friar Laurence. The concert also included L'invitation à la valse, Berlioz's orchestration of Carl Maria von Weber's piano piece Invitation to the Dance
(which Berlioz had inserted as part of the ballet in his edition of Weber's opera Der Freischütz
prepared for a production at the Paris Opera
in 1841). Apparently Glinka was quite pleased with the music he heard by Berlioz: he soon departed on a trip to Spain planning to compose fantaisies pittoresque in the style of Berlioz.
The fourth program on 6 April was billed as a séance Berlioz and included the overture from Weber's Freischütz, excerpts from Berlioz's symphonies Harold en Italie and Roméo et Juliette, and Quasimodo's aria with chorus from Louise Bertin
's opera La Esmeralda
sung by the tenor Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol
, who had created the role at the Paris Opera
in 1836. (At the premiere the aria had made such a good impression that Alexandre Dumas had cried out "It's by Berlioz! It's by Berlioz!". Berlioz denied that he had written any of the music, and only suggested an improvement to its ending.) The concert also included the first performance of Berlioz's orchestration of Meyer's Marche marocaine.
Although the first two concerts at the Cirque were well attended, the numbers quickly declined and the series closed after the fourth concert. The location, not a popular spot in the wintertime, was probably partly to blame, as were the acoustics of the hall, which was too reverberant. In addition, the ticket prices of 5 francs for the upper level and 10 francs for the lower were significantly higher than the 1 and 2 francs typically charged for an equestrian show.
Berlioz was later to write in his memoirs:
under the name Cirque de l'Impératrice (1853–1870), after which it became known as the Cirque d'été or the Cirque des Champs-Élysées. Its big attraction for a long time was the clown
Jean-Baptiste Auriol (1808–1881). La Belle Otero
and Émilienne d'Alençon also made their debuts there.
Hittorf also designed a similar theatre, the Cirque Napoleon on the rue des Filles Calvaires which opened in 1852 and was renamed Cirque d'hiver
(Winter Circus) in 1870. The Cirque d'été was only open in the summer from 1 May to 30 October, and the Cirque d'hiver ran from 1 November to 30 April.
The Cirque d'été's success continued into the 1880s. Many Parisians visited on Saturdays, and it was considered chic.
Public interest waned after the exposition universelle de 1889
. It was demolished after 1900 (most likely in 1902) and gave its name to the rue du Cirque.
Hippodrome
A hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos and "dromos"...
), was built in 1841 to designs by the architect Jacques Hittorff. It was used as the summer home of the Théâtre Franconi, the equestrian troupe of the Cirque Olympique, the license for which had been sold in 1836 to Louis Dejean by Adolphe Franconi, the grandson of its founder, Antonio Franconi
Antonio Franconi
Antonio Franconi was an Italian equestrian.He started as a juggler and wandering physician, then arranged bullfights in Lyon and Bordeaux...
. The new theatre was located on the north-east side of the present Rond-Point of the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
. At first called the Cirque national, it also became known as the Cirque des Champs-Élysées and the Cirque Olympique des Champs-Élysées. In 1853 it was renamed Cirque de l'Impératrice (in honor of the new Empress Eugénie), a name which it retained until the fall of the empire in 1870. Initially devoted exclusively to equestrian performances, it was later also used for other purposes, including grand concerts conducted by Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
. The theatre on the Champs-Élysées should not be confused with the same company's winter theatre, the Cirque Olympique on the boulevard du Temple
Boulevard du Temple
The Boulevard du Temple is a thoroughfare in Paris that separates the 3rd arrondissement from the 11th. It runs from the Place de la République to the Place Pasdeloup, and its name refers to the nearby Knights Templars' Temple where they established their Paris priory.-History:The Boulevard du...
, which had opened in 1827, or with the company's later winter theatre, the Cirque Napoléon (on the rue des Filles Calvaires), also built for Louis Dejean and opened in 1852. The latter theatre dropped the name Cirque Napoléon in 1870 and became primarily known as the Cirque d'hiver
Cirque d'hiver
The Cirque d'hiver , located at 110 rue Amelot , has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musical concerts, and other events, including exhibitions of Turkish wrestling and even fashion shows...
(Winter Circus). The theatre on the Champs-Élysées was demolished in 1902.
Construction and design
In 1836 Louis Dejean, the owner of the Cirque Olympique on the boulevard du Temple, obtained an additional license for a summer tent-circus at the carré Marigny on the Champs-Élysées. This was replaced in 1841 by a polygonal stone edifice with 16 sides. A pedimented porch on the east side was surmounted with a bronze equestrian statue designed by PradierJames Pradier
James Pradier, also known as Jean-Jacques Pradier was a Swiss-born French sculptor best known for his work in the neoclassical style.-Life and work:...
, and panels on the other sides sported ornamental bas-relief horses' heads designed by Duret
Francisque Joseph Duret
Francisque Joseph Duret was a French sculptor, son and pupil of François-Joseph Duret .He also studied under Bosio, and won the Prix de Rome in 1823. In 1833 he exhibited his "Neapolitan Fisher Dancing the Tarantella", now in the Louvre, a spirited statue in bronze, which established his reputation...
and Bosio. The theatre was spacious and held as many as 4,000 to 6,000 spectators. To the north was a rectangular building which included the stables. The interior was decorated in a Moorish style,and the roof was supported by light iron columns. The ceiling was decorated with compartments enclosing equestrian figures, and a chandelier with 130 gas jets hung over the center of the performance ring, which was surrounded by sixteen rows of seats. The stadium-style seating
Stadium seating
Stadium seating or theater seating is a characteristic seating arrangement that is most commonly associated with performing-arts venues, and derives its name from stadiums, which typically use this arrangement...
was "raked so sharply that those who wished might admire the costumes of fashionable women from head to toe."
Berlioz concerts
The director of the theatre, a man by the name of Gallois, soon installed heating, and, being aware of the great success of the monster concert presented by Hector BerliozHector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
at the nearby Festival de l'Industrie during the summer of 1844, engaged the composer for a series of six grand concerts to be presented at the Cirque that winter on Sunday afternoons, a day when no competing ones would be given at the Paris Conservatoire. The contract stipulated that Berlioz would hire and rehearse the orchestra and chorus, select the music, and conduct the performances. Berlioz engaged 350 players and singers for the concerts and held sectional rehearsals at the Salle Herz. Fortunately, Gallois underwrote all the costs.
The first concert on 19 January 1845 included Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto
Piano Concerto No. 5 (Beethoven)
The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Emperor Concerto, was his last piano concerto. It was written between 1809 and 1811 in Vienna, and was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven's patron and pupil...
with Charles Hallé
Charles Hallé
Sir Charles Hallé was an Anglo-German pianist and conductor, and founder of The Hallé orchestra in 1858.-Life:Hallé was born in Hagen, Westphalia, Germany who after settling in England changed his name from Karl Halle...
as the piano soloist, excerpts from Gluck's operas Alceste
Alceste (Gluck)
Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck from 1767. The libretto was written by Ranieri de' Calzabigi and based on the play Alcestis by Euripides. The premiere took place in Vienna.-Preface and reforms:...
and Orphée
Orfeo ed Euridice
Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck based on the myth of Orpheus, set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the azione teatrale, meaning an opera on a mythological subject with choruses and dancing...
, as well as works by Berlioz, including the overture Le carnaval romain, La tour de Nice (the original version of the overture Le corsaire), and the "Dies irae" and "Tuba mirum" from his requiem mass, the Grande Messe des morts
Requiem (Berlioz)
The Grande Messe des morts, Op. 5 by Hector Berlioz was composed in 1837. The Grande Messe des Morts is one of Berlioz's best-known works, with a tremendous orchestration of woodwind and brass instruments, including four antiphonal offstage brass ensembles placed at the corners of the concert stage...
. The latter two excerpts were played at the conclusion of all the concerts.
The second concert on 16 February had the theme séance orientale, in keeping with the decoration of the hall. The program included Félicien David's symphonic ode Le désert
Le désert
Le désert is an 'ode-symphonie' in three parts by the French composer Félicien David with words by Auguste Colin, written after the composer’s stay in Egypt and the Holy Land....
, the Austrian "lion-pianist" Léopold de Meyer playing his Marche marocaine, Op. 22 (subtitled "War-song of the Turks"), and Berlioz's overture to Les francs-juges
Les francs-juges
Les francs-juges is the title of an unfinished opera by the French composer Hector Berlioz written to a libretto by his friend Humbert Ferrand in 1826. The opera itself was abandoned by Berlioz, who destroyed most of the music...
. Apparently Meyer's Marche "electrified the audience, and was furiously encored."
The third concert on 16 March was organized around the theme séance russe. There was music by the Russian composer Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition within his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
, who was in Paris at the time and attended the concerts, which included excerpts from his opera A Life for the Tsar
A Life for the Tsar
A Life for the Tsar , as it is known in English, although its original name was Ivan Susanin is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. The original Russian libretto, based on historical events, was written by Nestor Kukolnik, Georgy Fyodorovich Rozen,...
and a ballet from his opera Russlan and Ludmilla. The finale from Berlioz's dramatic symphony Roméo et Juliette had a Russian bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
singing the role of Friar Laurence. The concert also included L'invitation à la valse, Berlioz's orchestration of Carl Maria von Weber's piano piece Invitation to the Dance
Invitation to the Dance (Weber)
Invitation to the Dance , Op. 65, J. 260, is a piano piece in rondo form written by Carl Maria von Weber in 1819. It is also well known in the 1841 orchestration by Hector Berlioz...
(which Berlioz had inserted as part of the ballet in his edition of Weber's opera Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
prepared for a production at the Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, 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 renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
in 1841). Apparently Glinka was quite pleased with the music he heard by Berlioz: he soon departed on a trip to Spain planning to compose fantaisies pittoresque in the style of Berlioz.
The fourth program on 6 April was billed as a séance Berlioz and included the overture from Weber's Freischütz, excerpts from Berlioz's symphonies Harold en Italie and Roméo et Juliette, and Quasimodo's aria with chorus from Louise Bertin
Louise Bertin
Louise-Angélique Bertin was a French composer and poet.Louise Bertin lived her entire life in France. Her father, Louis-François Bertin, and also her brother later on, were the editors of Journal des débats, an influential newspaper. As encouraged by her family, Bertin pursued music...
's opera La Esmeralda
La Esmeralda (opera)
La Esmeralda is a grand opera in four acts composed by Louise Bertin. The libretto was written by Victor Hugo, who had adapted it from his novel Notre-Dame de Paris . The opera premiered at the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris on 14 November 1836 with Cornélie Falcon in the title role...
sung by the tenor Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol
Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol
Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol was a French operatic tenor and later baritone who sang in the world premieres of many French operas....
, who had created the role at the Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, 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 renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
in 1836. (At the premiere the aria had made such a good impression that Alexandre Dumas had cried out "It's by Berlioz! It's by Berlioz!". Berlioz denied that he had written any of the music, and only suggested an improvement to its ending.) The concert also included the first performance of Berlioz's orchestration of Meyer's Marche marocaine.
Although the first two concerts at the Cirque were well attended, the numbers quickly declined and the series closed after the fourth concert. The location, not a popular spot in the wintertime, was probably partly to blame, as were the acoustics of the hall, which was too reverberant. In addition, the ticket prices of 5 francs for the upper level and 10 francs for the lower were significantly higher than the 1 and 2 francs typically charged for an equestrian show.
Berlioz was later to write in his memoirs:
"I do not remember what terms we agreed on; I know only that it turned out badly for him [Gallois]. The takings of the four concerts, for which we had engaged five hundred performers, were inevitably insufficient to cover all the cost of such huge forces. Once again the place was quite unsuitable for music. This time the sound reverberated so slowly in that heart-breaking rotunda that compositions of any complexity gave rise to the most horrid confusions of harmony. Only one piece was really effective and that was the Dies irae from my Requiem. Its breadth of tempo and harmonic movement made it seem less incongruous than any of the others in those booming cathedral-like spaces. It scored such a success that we had to include it in the programme of every concert.
Later history
The Cirque d'été typically had relatively inexpensive ticket prices. In 1846, 1852, and 1862, spectators were paying 1 franc for the upper level seating and 2 francs for the lower. The theatre reached its apogee during the Second French EmpireSecond French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
under the name Cirque de l'Impératrice (1853–1870), after which it became known as the Cirque d'été or the Cirque des Champs-Élysées. Its big attraction for a long time was the clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
Jean-Baptiste Auriol (1808–1881). La Belle Otero
La Belle Otero
Carolina “La Belle” Otero was a Spanish born dancer, actress and courtesan.-Early years:Born Agustina Otero Iglesias in Valga, Pontevedra, Galicia , her family was impoverished, and as a child she moved to Santiago de Compostela working as a maid...
and Émilienne d'Alençon also made their debuts there.
Hittorf also designed a similar theatre, the Cirque Napoleon on the rue des Filles Calvaires which opened in 1852 and was renamed Cirque d'hiver
Cirque d'hiver
The Cirque d'hiver , located at 110 rue Amelot , has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musical concerts, and other events, including exhibitions of Turkish wrestling and even fashion shows...
(Winter Circus) in 1870. The Cirque d'été was only open in the summer from 1 May to 30 October, and the Cirque d'hiver ran from 1 November to 30 April.
The Cirque d'été's success continued into the 1880s. Many Parisians visited on Saturdays, and it was considered chic.
Public interest waned after the exposition universelle de 1889
Exposition Universelle (1889)
The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
. It was demolished after 1900 (most likely in 1902) and gave its name to the rue du Cirque.