The Théâtre de Rosimond was

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

's first

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

house. It was named after its manager Argus Rosimond, a Lyonnese impresario. Built in 1766, it was a wooden building, standing on the other side of Place Neuve, at the corner of the Parc des Bastions and the present-day Rue de la Croix-Rouge, for the entertainment of peacekeeping garrisons from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

and

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, stationed in Geneva. This theatre featured three tiers of boxes and a ground-floor foyer, with an audience capacity of 800. A chandelier of tallow candles lighted the house, with a glass plate underneath it to prevent drops from falling on the audience. During its short existence, it hosted various comedies and light operas, such as the December 1766 premiere of ''Isabelle et Gertrude'', an operatic

comédie mêlée d'ariettes The French term (, 'comedy mixed with little songs') was frequently used during the late ''ancien régime'' for certain types of ''opéra comique'' (French opera with spoken dialogue). The term became popular in the mid 18th century following t ...

by the Liégeois composer André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry. No images of this theatre, either inside or outside, have survived to this day. In 1768, a fire – probably

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

– burned the Théâtre de Rosimond to the ground.

Sources

*Clark, Andrew (1992), 'Geneva' in ''The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...

'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London) {{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre De Rosimond Opera houses in Switzerland Theatres completed in 1766 Music venues completed in 1766 18th century in Geneva