Opéra-Théâtre de Metz
Encyclopedia
The Opéra-Théatre de Metz Métropole is an 750-seat opera house
and theatre
located on the Petit-Saulcy island in Metz
, capital of the Lorraine
region, France
. It is the oldest opera house working in France and one of the oldest in Europe
. It is also one of the last possessing its own costume
atelier
s in France.
, governor of the Three Bishoprics
, decided the urban planning of the Petit-Saulcy island (then used to stock firewoods, and occasionally for horse-fairs), in order built in Metz a modern square in a context of the Enlightenment. The island was drained and the embankments and four bridges were built, connecting the medieval town to the island. The edification of the opera house was conducted by local architect Jacques Oger. Adjacent to the opera house, the urban planning included also the construction of the intendant's palace by architect Barthélemy Bourdet (today the prefecture).
The construction of the opera house extended from 1732 to 1752, the War of the Austrian Succession
interrupting the works during 8 years. The neo-Classical
building is finally inaugurated with a public ball on February 3, 1752. The duke of Belle-Isle described it as "one of the most beautiful France's opera-theater" at his time, seating 1,382.
During the French Revolution
, the guillotine
for the executions was erected on the parvise of the opera house, the Comedy Square. In 1858, local sculptor Charles Pêtre, then member of the School of Metz artistic movement, adorned its facade with allegories of the Tragedy
, the Inspiration
, the Lyric Poetry
, the Comedy
, and the Music
. The most recent restoration took place between 1981 and 1982 remodeling the interior of the opera house to improve comfort and sightlines. The performance hall had been reduced to 750 seats in 1963.
, Pierre Corneille
, and Molière
, whereas towards the end of the ancien regime more contemporary plays by Voltaire
, Marivaux, Diderot, and Beaumarchais. As far as opera was concerned, opéra comique
s by Grétry
, and Montsigny
were staged, as well as operas of Jean-Baptiste Lully
.
Nineteenth century performances represented the work of both the major dramatists of the era (e.g., Hernani
by Victor Hugo
appearing just after its Paris
premiere
) and the major opera composers such as Weber
, Vincenzo Bellini
, and Donizetti, as well as the grand opera
s of Meyerbeer, Fromental Halévy
, and Daniel Auber
. During the season 1894-95, the theatre was presenting 187 events, of which 135 were in French and 52 in German.
The Metz Opera-Theater is fused in a unique Lorraine
artistic pole with the National Opera of Lorraine
. Today, the Opera-Theater features annually around sixty performances, including plays, choreographies, and lyric poetry.
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
located on the Petit-Saulcy island in Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, capital of the Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
region, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is the oldest opera house working in France and one of the oldest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It is also one of the last possessing its own costume
Costume
The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
atelier
Atelier Method
Atelier is the French word for "workshop", and in English is used principally for the workshop of an artist in the fine or decorative arts, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students and apprentices worked together producing pieces that went out in the master's name...
s in France.
Construction and architecture
In 1732, the duke de Belle-IsleCharles Louis Auguste Fouquet
Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, duc de Belle-Isle was a French general and statesman.The grandson of Nicolas Fouquet, Superintendent of Finances under Louis XIV, he was born at Villefranche-de-Rouergue. Although his family was in disgrace, he entered the army at an early age and was made...
, governor of the Three Bishoprics
Three Bishoprics
The Three Bishoprics constituted a province of pre-Revolutionary France consisting of the prince-bishoprics of Verdun, Metz, and Toul within the Lorraine region....
, decided the urban planning of the Petit-Saulcy island (then used to stock firewoods, and occasionally for horse-fairs), in order built in Metz a modern square in a context of the Enlightenment. The island was drained and the embankments and four bridges were built, connecting the medieval town to the island. The edification of the opera house was conducted by local architect Jacques Oger. Adjacent to the opera house, the urban planning included also the construction of the intendant's palace by architect Barthélemy Bourdet (today the prefecture).
The construction of the opera house extended from 1732 to 1752, the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
interrupting the works during 8 years. The neo-Classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building is finally inaugurated with a public ball on February 3, 1752. The duke of Belle-Isle described it as "one of the most beautiful France's opera-theater" at his time, seating 1,382.
During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
for the executions was erected on the parvise of the opera house, the Comedy Square. In 1858, local sculptor Charles Pêtre, then member of the School of Metz artistic movement, adorned its facade with allegories of the Tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
, the Inspiration
Artistic inspiration
Inspiration refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in a literary, musical, or other artistic endeavour. Literally, the word means "breathed upon," and it has its origins in both Hellenism and Hebraism. The Greeks believed that inspiration came from the muses, as well as the gods Apollo and...
, the Lyric Poetry
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
, the Comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, and the Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. The most recent restoration took place between 1981 and 1982 remodeling the interior of the opera house to improve comfort and sightlines. The performance hall had been reduced to 750 seats in 1963.
Performance and cultural policy
In the few years after its inauguration it staged several plays from the classic repertoire of the time, including those by RacineJean Racine
Jean Racine , baptismal name Jean-Baptiste Racine , was a French dramatist, one of the "Big Three" of 17th-century France , and one of the most important literary figures in the Western tradition...
, Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille
Pierre Corneille was a French tragedian who was one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine...
, and Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
, whereas towards the end of the ancien regime more contemporary plays by Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, Marivaux, Diderot, and Beaumarchais. As far as opera was concerned, opéra comique
Opéra comique
Opéra comique is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged out of the popular opéra comiques en vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent , which combined existing popular tunes with spoken sections...
s by Grétry
Grétry
People of the surname Grétry include* André Grétry , composer of opéras comiques;* Jeanne-Marie Grandon Grétry , painter, wife of André;...
, and Montsigny
Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny
Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny was a French composer and a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts .He is considered alongside André Grétry and François-André Danican Philidor to have been the founder of a new musical genre, the opéra comique, laying a path for other French composers such as...
were staged, as well as operas of Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
.
Nineteenth century performances represented the work of both the major dramatists of the era (e.g., Hernani
Hernani (drama)
----Hernani is a drama by the French romantic author Victor Hugo.The play opened in Paris on February 25, 1830...
by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
appearing just after its Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
) and the major opera composers such as Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
, Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
, and Donizetti, as well as the grand opera
Grand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
s of Meyerbeer, Fromental Halévy
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
, and Daniel Auber
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
. During the season 1894-95, the theatre was presenting 187 events, of which 135 were in French and 52 in German.
The Metz Opera-Theater is fused in a unique Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
artistic pole with the National Opera of Lorraine
Opéra national de Lorraine
Opéra national de Lorraine is an opera company and opera house located in the city of Nancy in the French province of Lorraine. Formerly named the Opéra de Nancy et de Lorraine, it was given the status of "national opera" in 2006....
. Today, the Opera-Theater features annually around sixty performances, including plays, choreographies, and lyric poetry.