Construction of the Opéra, 1765 to 1770 Royal Opera of Versailles

the marquis de marigny asking Étienne maynon d invault, contrôleur général des finances, budget increase complete works on royal opera of versailles until spring 1770 («parvenir à l’achèvement de la salle de spectacle du château de versailles, avant le printemps de 1770»). draft letter, october 31, 1768.

construction work on opéra began in earnest in 1765 , completed in 1770. gabriel reverted old design j.h. mansart , gaspare vigarani: salle des ballets, @ far north end of château, had been abandoned @ outbreak of war of spanish succession. terminal pavilion of north wing, intended this, had been carried full height on garden side; on street side had advanced no further foundations. @ time, represented finest example in theatre design, having 712 seats, , largest theatre in europe. today, remains 1 of few 18th century theaters have survived present day. gabriel’s design opéra exceptional time since featured oval plan. economy measure, floor of orchestra level can raised level stage, doubling floor space. transition auditorium stage managed introduction of giant order of engaged corinthian columns, cornice ranging whole ionic entablature. proscenium formed 2 pairs of columns, coupled in depth, entablature. on either side 2 more pairs, more spaced, enclosed 3 tiers of boxes. breaking traditional italian-style theatres stacked tiered boxes chicken coops, 2 balconies ring house, topped ample colonnade seems extend infinity play of mirrors. planned opéra should serve not theatre, ballroom or banqueting hall well. theatre burned ten thousand candles in single setting, therefore making expensive rent space out.

it opened may 16, 1770, lully s persée.

on 1 october 1789, gardes du corps du roi held banquet welcome flanders regiment, had arrived strengthen protection royal family against revolutionary rumblings being heard in paris. @ banquet, louis xvi, marie-antoinette, , dauphin received pledge of loyalty these guards. revolutionary journalist jean-paul marat described banquet counter-revolutionary orgy, soldiers ripping off blue-white-red cockades had been wearing , replacing them white ones, color symbolized bourbon monarchy. in truth, there no evidence of act, , actual eyewitnesses , attendees, such queen s lady of bedchamber madame campan, record no such destruction of cockades. last event held in opéra during ancien régime.

built entirely of wood, painted in faux marble represent stone, opéra has excellent acoustics , represents 1 of finest examples of neo-classical decoration. theme of decoration related apollo , olympian deities. decoration of opéra directed augustin pajou, executed bas-reliefs panels decorate front of loges. ceiling features canvas louis jean-jacques durameau in apollo , muses depicted.

in spite of excellent acoustics , opulent setting, opéra not used during reign of louis xvi, largely on grounds of cost. however, occasions when opéra used, became events of day. of more memorable uses of opéra during reign of louis xvi included:

5 may 1777: revival of jean-philippe rameau’s, castor et pollux visit of emperor joseph ii, marie-antoinette’s brother.
23 may 1782: revival of la reine de golconde michel-jean sedaine;
29 may 1782: revival of christoph willibald glück’s opera, iphigénie en aulide , revival of maximilien gardel’s ballet ninette à la cour;
8 june 1782: dress ball held in honor of visit of comte , comtess du nord, grand duke paul , grand duchess of marie feodorovna of russia traveling incognito.
14 june 1784: revival of glück’s armide visit of gustav iii of sweden.




^ kalnein, wend von. architecture in france in eighteenth century . new haven: yale university press, 1995. print.
^ ward 1926, p..
^ france - paris - chateau de versailles , white mouse burrow. white mouse, ru, n.d. retrieved 23 january 2011.
^ verlet, p. 378
^ praefcke, andreas, carthalia - versailles: theatre gabriel , homepage. n.p., n.d. retrieved 23 january 2011
^ verlet, p. 559
^ verlet, pp. 379-380
^ verlet, p. 555
^ festivities provided during visit of grand duke paul , grand duchess marie, menus-plaisirs recorded expenses @ more 200,000 livres second quarter of 1782.
^ verlet, pp. 554-555