HL Damals – Theater – Opéra de Lille – 1917 – 1

The Opéra de Lille is a neo-classical

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

, built from 1907 to 1913 and officially inaugurated in 1923. Closed for renovation in 1998 it reopened in 2003 for Lille 2004. The Opéra de Lille is a member of the European Network for Opera, Music and Dance Education ( RESEO), and of Opera Europa. It is served by the metro stations Gare Lille-Flandres and Rihour.

History

Lille became French in 1668 through the Aix-la-Chapelle treaty. The classical singing activity grew quickly. Shows are organised in the city hall by the composer Pascal Collasse. In 1700, the opera room is destroyed and rebuilt thanks to a gift of 90,000 florins by Louis XIV. At the end of the 18th century, a bigger opera room is designed by the architect Lequeux, inaugurated in 1788. In 1903 fire destroyed the 1785 Lille opera house. For the replacement city officials chose architect

Louis Marie Cordonnier Louis Marie Cordonnier (July 7, 1854, Haubourdin, Nord – 1940) was a French architect, born in Haubourdin and associated principally with Lille and the French Flanders region. Biography Son of the architect Jean-Baptiste Cordonnier (182 ...

by competition. Cordonnier's

Belle Époque The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...

design features an elaborate pediment relief by sculptor Hippolyte Lefèbvre, and two flanking bas-relief panels

Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier (1848–1930) was a French sculptor. Born in La Madeleine, Nord, Cordonnier was educated in nearby Lille, then in Paris, then in Rome, on a scholarship funded by the foundation of Jean-Baptiste Wicar. Cordonnier won ...

and . The interior includes sculptures by

Edgar-Henri Boutry Edgar Boutry (1857–1938) was a French sculptor who executed several public statues and monuments and worked on several Monuments aux Morts. He also ran the Écoles académiques lilloises. Early years and studies Boutry was born in Lille and ...

, and frescoes by

Georges Picard Georges Gabriel Picard (23 December 1857, Remiremont - 25 January 1943, Yzeures-sur-Creuse) was a French painter, decorative artist, and illustrator, of Jewish ancestry. Some sources give his year of death as 1946. Biography His father, Abraha ...

. In July 1914, while not quite completed, the Germans occupied the city during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and commandeered much of the furniture and equipment of the Opéra to furnish the other opera in Lille, the Theatre Sebastopol. After four years of occupation, the building was restored and reopened its doors in 1923 for a rededication as the Grand Theatre and a "première française". At the end of 1970's the classical singing activity struggles. To relaunch it, an association is created in 1979 with Roubaix's ballet and Tourcoing's opera studio. It creates the "Opéra du Nord" directed by Elie Delfosse. It is opened with Il Trovatore by Verdi for the 1979-1980 season. This new opera is a success, the number of subscribers jumped from 700 to 3000 within three years. However, from the beginning financial problems jeopardise its existence. In 1984 a restructuring fires a part of the employees. The association is dissolved in 1985 because of financial problems and political discord. The Opera de Lille is then directed by Humbert Camerlo who started an ambitious programmation with among others: Mozart's Cosi van Tutti, Stravinsky's

The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...

. In 1987 the opera is closed for financial reasons, the orchestra and the chorus are fired. In 1998 the theatre's physical condition required an emergency closure, in mid-season. Renovations evolved into a more ambitious project to improve the building's functional capabilities for the public and for performing artists. This project was complete in time for Lille's year as European Capital of Culture in 2004.

External links

The company's official website
(in English)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Opera De Lille

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

Buildings and structures in Lille Tourist attractions in Lille Theatres completed in 1923 Music venues completed in 1923 1923 establishments in France

History

See also

External links