The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées () is an entertainment venue standing at 15 avenue Montaigne in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. It is situated near Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from which it takes its name. Its eponymous main hall may seat up to 1,905 people, while the smaller Comédie and Studio des Champs-Élysées above the latter may seat 601 and 230 people respectively. Commissioned by impresario

Gabriel Astruc Gabriel Astruc (14 March 1864 – 7 July 1938) was a French journalist, agent, promoter, theatre manager, theatrical impresario, and playwright whose career connects many of the best-known incidents and personalities of Belle Epoque Paris. Biogr ...

, the theatre was built from 1911 to 1913 upon the designs of brothers

Auguste Perret Auguste Perret (12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforced concrete. His major works include the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the first Art Deco building in Paris; the ...

and Gustave Perret following a scheme by

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.' ...

, and became the first example of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

architecture in the city. Less than two months after its inauguration, the Théâtre hosted the world premiere of the

Ballets Russes The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Revolution disrupted society. ...

' ''

Rite of Spring ''The Rite of Spring''. Full name: ''The Rite of Spring: Pictures from Pagan Russia in Two Parts'' (french: Le Sacre du printemps: tableaux de la Russie païenne en deux parties) (french: Le Sacre du printemps, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral ...

'', which provoked one of the most famous classical music riots. At present, the theatre shows about three staged opera productions a year, mostly

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

or chamber works more suited to the modest size of its stage and orchestra pit. It also houses an important concert season. It is the home venue of the

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France sinc ...

and the Orchestre Lamoureux, and serves as a French base for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra as well.

Architecture

The theatre is built of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion ...

and features rectangular forms, straight lines, and decoration attached to the outside on plaques of marble and stucco, which was a radical departure from the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style, and, at the time, shockingly plain in appearance. The building's concrete construction was not merely a stylistic choice. Subsoil conditions and the site's proximity to the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...

made concrete necessary.

was the initial architect, resigning when it was clear that the contractors, the Perret brothers, had a far deeper understanding of reinforced concrete construction than he did, although the Perrets, were not licensed architects and had another designer, Roger Bouvard, sign their plans. The building includes an exterior

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an importan ...

, a dome by Maurice Denis, paintings by Édouard Vuillard and

Jacqueline Marval Jacqueline Marval was the pseudonym for Marie Josephine Vallet (19 October 1866 – 28 May 1932), who was a French painter, lithographer and sculptor. Early life Vallet was born in Quaix-en-Chartreuse into a family of school teachers. She w ...

, and a stage curtain by

Ker-Xavier Roussel Ker-Xavier Roussel (10 December 1867 – 6 June 1944) was a French painter associated with Les Nabis. Biography Born François Xavier Roussel in Lorry-lès-Metz, Moselle in 1867, at age fifteen he studied at the Lycée Condorcet in Paris; alo ...

. The building houses two smaller stages, the Comédie des Champs-Élysées theatre on the 3rd floor, and the Studio des Champs-Élysées on the 5th floor. The building is considered a landmark of

modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

, and has been a ''

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a col ...

'' of France since 1957. File:Théâtre des Champs-Élysées DSC09330.jpg, Perspective view File:Theatre-des-champs-elysees-.jpg, left, Street façade with bas-reliefs by

File:Antoine Bourdelle, 1910-12, Apollon et sa méditation entourée des 9 muses (The Meditation of Apollon and the Muses), bas-relief, Théâtre des Champs Elysées DSC09313.jpg, ''The Muses Running to Apollo'' and ''Apollo at his Meditation'' File:Theatre Champs Elysees 35.jpg, View of the auditorium and stage File:Scène du Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.jpg, Stage File:Plafond du Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.jpg, Ceiling

Early history

was the first director of the theatre, and programmed contemporary music, dance and opera, including works by

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

and

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

. Although Astruc was soon financially overextended, the first season was "nothing short of dazzling."Simeone 2000, pp. 198–201. The theatre opened on April 2, 1913, with a gala concert featuring five of France's most renowned composers conducting their own works: Claude Debussy ('' Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune''), Paul Dukas ('' L'apprenti sorcier''),

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

(''La naissance de Vénus''),

Vincent d'Indy Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the P ...

(''Le camp'' from ''Wallenstein''), and

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

(''Phaeton'' and excerpts from his choral work ''La lyre et la harpe''). This was followed the next day with a performance of Hector Berlioz's opera ''

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiograph ...

'' conducted by Felix Weingartner which included a "dance spectacular" by

Anna Pavlova Anna Pavlovna Pavlova ( , rus, Анна Павловна Павлова ), born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova ( rus, Анна Матвеевна Павлова; – 23 January 1931), was a Russian prima ballerina of the late 19th and the early 20t ...

. Later there was a series of concerts devoted to

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

conducted by Weingartner and featuring the pianists

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poetic ...

and Louis Diémer, and the soprano Lilli Lehmann. The

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra ( nl, Koninklĳk Concertgebouworkest, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, based at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). Considered one of the world's leading orchestras, Queen Beatrix conferred the " ...

of Amsterdam conducted by

Willem Mengelberg Joseph Wilhelm Mengelberg (28 March 1871 – 21 March 1951) was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest s ...

gave two concerts: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and the Paris premiere of Fauré's opera ''

Pénélope ''Pénélope'' is an opera in three acts by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. The libretto, by René Fauchois is based on Homer's '' Odyssey''. It was first performed at the Salle Garnier, Monte Carlo on 4 March 1913. The piece is dedicat ...

'' (May 10). Lélue (Sacre du printemps, ballets russes) (4557057918)

Sergei Diaghilev's

presented the company's fifth season, although their first in the new theatre, opening on May 15 with Igor Stravinsky's ''

The Firebird ''The Firebird'' (french: L'Oiseau de feu, link=no; russian: Жар-птица, Zhar-ptitsa, link=no) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev' ...

'', Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's ''

Scheherazade Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the '' One Thousand and One Nights''. Name According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' der ...

'' (as choreographed by

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant an ...

), and the world premiere of Debussy's '' Jeux'' (with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky and designs by

Léon Bakst Léon Bakst (russian: Леон (Лев) Николаевич Бакст, Leon (Lev) Nikolaevich Bakst) – born as Leyb-Khaim Izrailevich (later Samoylovich) Rosenberg, Лейб-Хаим Израилевич (Самойлович) Розенбе ...

). Some in the audiences had been offended by the depiction on stage of a tennis game in ''Jeux'', but this was nothing compared to the reaction to the ritual sacrifice in Stravinsky's ''Rite of Spring'' on May 29. Carl Van Vechten described the scene:

Marie Rambert Dame Marie Rambert, Mrs Dukes DBE (20 February 188812 June 1982) was a Polish-born English dancer and pedagogue who exerted great influence on British ballet, both as a dancer and teacher. Early years and background Born to a liberal Lithuan ...

heard someone in the gallery call out: "Un docteur … un dentiste … deux docteurs…." The second performance (June 4) was less eventful, and, according to

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

, the entire musical work could actually be heard. The first season ended on June 26, 1913, with a performance of ''Pénélope'', and the new one opened on October 2 with the same work. On October 9 d'Indy conducted Carl Maria von Weber's opera ''

Der Freischütz ' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 1810 ...

''. On October 15 Debussy conducted the ''Ibéria'' section from his orchestral triptych ''

Images pour orchestre ''Images pour orchestre'', L. 122, is an orchestral composition in three sections by Claude Debussy, written between 1905 and 1912. Debussy had originally intended this set of ''Images'' as a two-piano sequel to the first set of ''Images'' for ...

'', and a week later he conducted his cantata '' La Damoiselle élue''. By November 20 Astruc was out of money and was ejected from the theatre, and the sets and costumes were impounded. The following season consisted of operas presented by

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

and the

Boston Opera Company The Boston Opera Company (BOC) was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts, that was active from 1909 to 1915. History The company was founded in 1908 by Bostonian millionaire Eben Dyer Jordan, Jr. and impresario Henry Russel ...

Neysa McMein - For Victory - Allied Women on War Service - Conference and Mass Meeting - Original

During most of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the theatre was closed, but the Congress of Allied Women on War Service was held there in August 1918. Pavlova's ballet company presented a short season of dance performances in 1919.

Later history

The theatre was purchased by Madame

Ganna Walska Ganna Walska (born Hanna Puacz on June 26, 1887 – March 2, 1984) was a Polish opera singer and garden enthusiast who created the Lotusland botanical gardens at her mansion in Montecito, California. She was married six times, four times to wea ...

(Mrs.

Harold Fowler McCormick Harold Fowler McCormick (May 2, 1872 – October 16, 1941) was an American businessman. He was chairman of the board of International Harvester Company and a member of the McCormick family. In 1948 he was awarded the Henry Laurence Gantt Medal ...

) in 1922, although not with the intention of being its manager. She stated that she had purchased the nine-year lease from Jacques Hébertot, who would remain the manager. In 1923

Louis Jouvet Jules Eugène Louis Jouvet (24 December 1887 – 16 August 1951) was a French actor, theatre director and filmmaker. Early life Jouvet was born in Crozon. He had a stutter as a young man and originally trained as a pharmacist. He receive ...

was named director of the smaller Comédie des Champs-Élysées (located upstairs, over the foyer of the main theatre).Knapp 1985, p. 6. The Comédie stage was the home of Jules Romains' long-running medical satire, ''Dr. Knock'' (1923), in which Jouvet played the title role''.'' Jouvet also staged Charles Vildrac's ''Madame Béliard'' (1925), Bernard Zimmer's ''Bava the African'' (1926), Jean Sarment's ''Leopold the Well-Beloved'' (1927), and Marcel Achard's ''Jean of the Moon'' (1929). He is perhaps best known for directing the premier of three of

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His ...

's plays: '' Siegfried'' in 1928, '' Amphitryon 38'' in 1929, and ''

Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

'' in 1933. On December 4, 1924, the

Ballets Suédois Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

production of

Francis Picabia Francis Picabia (: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22January 1879 – 30November 1953) was a French avant-garde painter, poet and typographist. After experimenting with Impressionism and Pointillism, Picabia became associated with Cubism ...

's '' Relâche'', described by him as a ''ballet instantanéist'' was premiered in the main theatre. The music by

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an und ...

was conducted by Roger Désormière. The ballet included an interlude with a film by

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

(shot on the roof of the theatre), which was accompanied by Saties's "new and astonishing film score ''Cinéma''." At the conclusion of the ballet, Satie took his curtain call in Désormière's car.

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band we ...

filmed the video for New Moon On Monday here in January 1984.

Current use

Jean-Claude Malgoire au Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

The theatre shows about three staged opera productions a year, mostly

or chamber works, suited to the modest size of its stage and orchestra pit. In addition, it houses an important concert season. It is home to two orchestras: the

and Orchestre Lamoureux, as well as the French base of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is a French radio orchestra, affiliated with Radio France. The orchestra performs principally at the auditorium of the Maison de la Radio in Paris, along with several concerts at the Philharmonie de Pa ...

, the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées and Ensemble orchestral de Paris play most of their concerts here too, along with other

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

recital A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide var ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

events. Although the theatre is privately owned, it is supported by the

Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations The Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC; ) is a French public sector financial institution created in 1816, and part of the government institutions under the control of the Parliament. Often described as the "investment arm" of the Fren ...

, which has owned the building since 1970. The theater houses a restaurant on its roof, called Maison Blanche.

Yasmina Reza Yasmina Reza (born 1 May 1959) is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter best known for her plays Art and ''God of Carnage''. Many of her brief satiric plays have reflected on contemporary middle-class issues. The 2011 blac ...

'Art' ''Art'' is a French-language play by Yasmina Reza that premiered in 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The play subsequently ran in London in 1996 and on Broadway in 1998. Productions The play premiered on 28 October 1994 at Com� ...

premiered on the Comédie stage in 1994, winning two Molière awards.ART by Yasmina Reza
Prices can be expensive for the main stage, and vary widely even for a particular event, from €15 for restricted visibility to €180 for the best seats (April 2022). The theater, both outside and inside, was featured in the 1973 French espionage movie '. It appeared in Jan Kounen's 2009 film ''

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is a 2009 French romantic drama film directed by Jan Kounen. It was chosen as the Closing Film of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and was shown on 24 May 2009. ''Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky'' is based on the 2 ...

'', starring Mads Mikkelsen and Anna Mougalis in the title roles. The film begins with a brief exterior shot followed by an extensive recreation of the original staging of the "Rite of Spring" and the audience reaction. The theater was the main venue for the 2006 romantic comedy ''Fauteuils d'orchestre'' (Orchestra Seats), starring Cécile de France and directed by Danièle Thompson.

Notes

Bibliography

*Collins, Peter (2004). ''Concrete: The Vision of a New Architecture'', 2nd edition. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. . *Hanser, David A. (2006). ''Architecture of France''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. . *Knapp, Bettina L. (1985). ''French Theatre 1918–1939''. London: Macmillan.
Copy
at Internet Archive. *Paul, Harry W. (2011). ''Henri de Rothschild, 1872-1947: Medicine and Theater''. Ashgate. . *Simeone, Nigel (2000). ''Paris: A Musical Gazetteer''. Yale University Press. . *Texier, Simon (

012 012 may refer to: * Tyrrell 012, a Formula One racing car * The dialing code for Pretoria, South Africa See also * 12 (disambiguation) Twelve or 12 may refer to: * 12 (number) * December, the twelfth and final month of the year Years * 12 BC ...

. ''Paris: Panorama de l'architecture de l'antiquité à nos jours''. Paris: Parigramme. . *White, Eric Walter (1966). ''Stravinsky: The Composer and His Works''. Berkeley: University of California Press. . (Dover reprint).

External links

*
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées at Google Cultural InstituteComédie des Champs Elysées at Google Cultural Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre des Champs-Elysees Champs-Elysees Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris Art Deco architecture in France Champs-Elysees 1913 establishments in France