History of the Grand Théâtre
Building History
1842 > 2022
Une histoire du Grand Théâtre de Genève
- The City Theatre
- Important Events in the History of the Building
- Artistic Milestones at the Grand Théâtre de Genève
- Important Events in Opera Production
1850
October 1886
The Saint-Gervais riot. James Fazy comes to power.
1853
Dismantling of the Porte Neuve city gate.
1879
Completion of the Grand Théâtre de Genève, planned by the architect Jacques-Élisée Goss.
1899
Adolphe Appia writes La musique et la mise en scène. A theoretical revolution in the field of lighting and scenery.
1860
Geneva’s population reaches 60’000. Beginnings of a local industrial revolution.
1887
Opening of the Casino-Théâtre.
1894
Opening of the Victoria Hall.
1862
First horse-drawn tramway on tracks.
1883
Advent of new technologies in theaters and opera houses: electricity, set painting workshops, hydraulic machinery systems…
1874
Groundbreaking of the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
1842 > 1879
In 1842, the City of Geneva became an independent municipality, with an elected deliberative authority, the Municipal Council, and executive power in the hands of the Administrative Council. In October 1846, James Fazy came to power after the Saint-Gervais riot. The first part of modern Geneva’s new self, as imagined by Fazy was the dismantling of the city walls. The recovered lands allowed the construction of an urban belt going from Rive to Pâquis. In 1865, the renovation of the old theater having been abandoned, the Administrative Council decided to build another one in the former moats of the Porte Neuve, close to the Music Conservatory. The great Geneva dreamed by Fazy soon became a reality. The agglomeration grew from 38,000 inhabitants in 1850, to 60,000 in 1870, to 131,000 in 1914. During these years, trade unions developed, and serious social conflicts took place. The building strike of 1868 led to a 10% wage increase and a reduction in the workday from 12 to 11 hours. In 1902, a conflict involving streetcar workers was supported by all the unions and resulted in the first general strike in a Swiss city. As early as the 1870s, new industries appeared thanks to the collaboration of innovation-minded businessmen, scientists and technicians. Workshops and small factories for mechanics, electrical equipment, chemical products and automobiles sprang up. This development was encouraged by the energy resources intelligently put at the service of industry by the municipal administration, particularly Théodore Turrettini, the city’s administrative councilor in 1882. In 1862, Geneva was one of the first cities in Europe to adopt the horse-drawn tramway running on rails. The first line connected the Place de Neuve to the Rondeau de Carouge; it was the first European tramway line and the fourth one in the world, that is still in activity.
1876 Bayreuth
Opening of the Bayreuther Festspielhaus with the premiere of Wagner’s Ring. Among its innovations: an amphitheatre-like parterre; an orchestra pit that sinks under the stage; the darkening of the house during performances.
1879 Opening of the Grand Théâtre
On October 2 1879, a large crowd attended the opening of the Grand Théâtre to see Rossini’s Guillaume Tell and especially to discover the building. Built on the “Grande Mer” (the “Great Sea”, an emergence of the water table that filled a large area of the city moat), the building designed by Jacques-Élisée Goss immediately put the opera house among the 10 best in Europe. Marked by a famous battle between lovers and opponents of the theater, between Voltaire and Rousseau, between the liberal Council and the conservative Consistory of Pastors, Geneva put an end to the debate with this new 1300 seat auditorium “à la française”. The Beaux-Arts style architecture was inspired by the Opéra Garnier which had opened four years earlier. In spite of the high cost for the time – 3.7 million – it was said in the press that “it is permissible and even proper to forget about the ledgers for 24 hours”. Everything in the theater indicates the intention to link opera with the art of theatre, which had its origins in ancient Greece. Beginning with the busts of famous authors in the prestigious public spaces: Shakespeare, Voltaire, Racine, Sophocles and Plautus. Lyres, theater masks and aulos (double flute) decorate the facade and the interiors. On the exterior, masks are found above the windows and on the cornice, muses and inscriptions indicate the relationship between lyric poetry, comedy and tragedy. In the foyers, the chandeliers are decorated with masks, lyres and aulos figure in the frescoes.
1879 Grand Théâtre de Genève
The City Council appoints the Theatre’s director and provides funding through grants voted by the City Council. The company is composed of 30 singers and 34 actors. The 11 dancers of the corps de ballet are directed by principal dancer and ballet master Charles Laffond and prima ballerina Pia Scotti. The public votes in two categories (subscribers and regulars), to have an artist admitted. This “custom” continued until the First World War. It was also a period of emergence of musical criticism in a context of knowledge and education. As early as 1877, gas lighting was replaced by electricity, allowing the auditorium to be darkened. The Grand Théâtre used 2450 lamps (for a total of 6800 lamps in Geneva in 1891) supplied with electric current by an extra generator of 200CV produced by dynamos and high pressure water coming from the Forces motrices.
1879
On October 2, opening of The Grand Théâtre de Genève with Guillaume Tell, Gioachino Rossini, composer – Francis Bergalonne, Musical Director ; Lorenzetti, Director.
1880 > 1920
Inauguration of the Casino-Théâtre in 1887 and the Victoria Hall in 1894. At the beginning of the 20th century, two institutions became centers of musical activity: the Société de musique symphonique and the Société romande de spectacles. In 1913 the Théâtre de La Comédie was inaugurated. During the First World War, the Grand Théâtre did not close, performing the great repertoire with a good quality troupe of artists. The Theatre gave work to artists and musicians who had no other resources than the stage and concerts. However, the public began to lose interest after repeated performances by the same artists. At the end of the war, one of the great periods in the life of the theater in Geneva came to an end.
1892
On December 27, world premiere in French of Werther, Jules Massenet, composer – Francis Bergalonne, Musical Director ; Poinisse, Director.
1883 A new technical era
As early as 1880, technological achievements already present in industry made their appearance in opera houses. In 1883, the Paris Opera switched from gas to electricity, which was quickly taken up by the major European theaters. At the same time, the first paint workshops specialized in theater sets appeared in big cities. Hydraulically activated stage machinery emerges, allowing heavy loads to be moved noiselessly during the show. A new era of scenographic possibilities beings.
1899 Adolphe Appia writes « La musique et la mise en scène »
With this work, Adolphe Appia initiated a theoretical revolution concerning lighting and scenery. The stage was freed from the painted canvases that served as scenery, real objects were placed on it with which the singers could interact, and lighting became an integral part of the staging – it created moods and no longer served only to “turn the lights on and off” in the house. These theories were applied concretely by Gustav Mahler and Alfred Roller in their 1903 Tristan und Isolde.
1900
1904
Giacomo Puccini and his opera Madama Butterfly. Fyodor Chaliapin and his interpretation of Boris Godunov (1908). For the first time, singers are also asked to be actors.
1938
Otello by Giuseppe Verdi for the first time in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Edmondo de Vecchi, Musical Director ; Louis Molina, Director. An artistic event.
1913
Opening of the Comédie de Genève.
1920
Founding of the first dance company at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
1942
Willy and Delly Flay appointed ballet masters. The beginnings of choreography at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
1948
Le Festin de l’Araignée. Willy et Delly Flay, choregraphers.
1914/1918
The Grand Théâtre de Genève establishes a troupe to perform repertory pieces but the audience gradually loses interest.
1927/1931
The Kroll Opera in Berlin features the first abstract sets – allowing the audience to focus on the drama.
1948
Boris Godunov, Modest Mussorgsky composer– Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director ; Jean Mercier, Director.
29 december 1915
Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes come to Geneva. Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director. A world premiere by the choreographer Léonide Massine (Soleil de Nuit). Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird conducted by the composer himself.
1943
Founding of the Société romande des spectacles (SRS). French repertoire productions bring the audience back to the theatre.
1918
Founding of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
1927
Dismissal of the troupe and the orchestra. Discovery of famous foreign artists.
1945
The war leaves many theatres in ruins. An era of reconstruction begins. New professions emerge: technical consultant and lighting designer.
1904 Puccini and Chaliapine. The first singer-actors
Giacomo Puccini composed operas that were intrinsically theatrical, with his Madama Butterfly at La Scala, he gave a new impetus to the staging by requiring acting skills from his singers. For Puccini the action should not only be sung but also embodied by the singer. It was not until 1908 with Fyodor Chaliapin, and his interpretation of Boris in Boris Godounov, that we meet the first opera singer who is also an actor.
1915
On December 20, Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes come to Geneva for the first time. Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director. The program included choreographies by Michel Fokine, music by Schumann and Borodin; a world premiere by the choreographer Léonide Massine (Soleil de Nuit), music by Rimsky-Korsakov; and Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird conducted by the composer himself.
1918
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is founded.
1927 The Kroll Opera (until 1931)
The Kroll Opera in Berlin became an experimental opera house between the two world wars. The first abstract sets appear – with the aim of forcing the audience to focus on the drama.
1927 > 1955
In 1927, the troupe and the orchestra of the Grand Théâtre were dismissed, which marked the end of a permanent ensemble in Geneva. Tours by German, Austrian and Italian troupes allowed the Geneva public to hear some of the best voices of the time. In 1943, the Société romande des spectacles (SRS) was founded to tackle the reform of the Place de Neuve stage head on. An artistic committee managed to organize five lyric seasons until the war. The results of the SRS were quite positive, as the public returned to the theater. After the second world war, the focus was placed on the French repertoire.
On May 1st 1951, while stagehands were preparing a set for the third act of Wagner’s Die Walküre, a terrible fire broke out, destroying the stage, fly loft, grid and gangways and their mechanical and electric machinery. The safety curtain collapsed and the fire spread to the house, burning everything from the orchestra seats to the third tier, along with the painted panels and medallions in the ceiling and above the proscenium arch. The only parts of the theatre to escape the flames were the foyer and its external landing, the main entrance and vestibule, and the exterior facades, including those of the stage house. The theatre remained closed for a decade. From 1952 until 1962, the SRS organized lyrical seasons at the Grand Casino following the building’s fire in 1951. In 1955, the municipal authorities decided to create a public law foundation to run the Grand Théâtre.
1938
Otello by Giuseppe Verdi – Edmondo de Vecchi, Musical Director ; Louis Molina, Director. The work is presented for the first time in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
1945 A new technical era
At the end of the Second World War, more than 60 theaters were demolished. An era of reconstruction and technological updating allowed two professions to emerge: technical consultant and lighting designer.
1948
Boris Godounov, Modest Mussorgsky composer– Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director ; Jean Mercier, Director.
1950
1951
Bayreuth becomes an experimental theater and the beginnings of Regietheater. Wieland Wagner (Parsifal, Ring) ; Rudolf Hartmann (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg).
1962
Founding of the Opera Chorus and the Ballet of the Grand Théâtre.
1965
Le Mandarin merveilleux. Serge Golovine, choregrapher.
1969/1978
The Grand Theatre’s Ballet performs the Balanchine repertoire.
1977
Wagner’s Ring (2 cycles) Ehrling Sixten (Musical Director), Jean-Claude Riber (Director).
1983
First use of surtitles in opera.
1987
World première of La Forêt, Rolf Liebermann.
1997
Orphée aux Enfers, Jacques Offenbach. Marc Minkowski, Musical Director ; Laurent Pelly, Director.
1st may 1951
Fire breaks out during a rehearsal of Wagner’s Die Walküre. The stage and the auditorium are completely destroyed.
1962
Reopening of the Grand Théâtre de Genève with a production of Don Carlos, Giuseppe Verdi. Christian Vöchting, Musical Director ; Marcel Lamy, Director.
1967
World première in French of La Tempête, Frank Martin. Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director ; Lotfi Mansouri, Director.
1973
Founding of the Festival de la Bâtie and the AMR, signs of an alternative artistic culture emerge in Geneva.
1983
Mathis der Mahler, Paul Hindemith (music) – Oscar Araiz, choregrapher.
1985
World première of Le Retour de Casanova, Girolamo Arrigo.
1997/1998
For an entire season, the Grand Théâtre moves to the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (BFM). Major technical and technological upgrades.
1952/1962
Geneva’s opera seasons are transferred to the Grand Casino.
1962
The Grand Theatre has the largest stage aperture in Europe.
1965
Die Zauberflöte, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director ; Herbert Graf, Director.
1968
A new “baroque style” emerges with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s staging of Il barbiere di Siviglia (Salzburger Festspiele).
1980
A defining version of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Horst Stein, Musical Director; Maurice Béjart, Director ; with Ruggero Raimondi.
1984
Un ballo in maschera, Giuseppe Verdi, with Luciano Pavarotti.
1991
Axioma 7 – Ohad Naharin, choregrapher.
1955/1957
Luchino Visconti and Maria Callas at La Scala. Dawn of a new dramatic intensity in performance.
1963
Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner. Alberto Erede, Musical Director ; Wieland Wagner, Director.
1966
World première of La Mère coupable, Darius Milhaud. Serge Baudo, Musical Director ; Louis Ducreux, Director.
1976
Chéreau/Boulez’s Ring in Bayreuth displays a political, economic and social contextualization of the work.
1981
Rhapsodie, Sergei Rachmaninov (music) – Oscar Araiz, choregrapher.
1989
Tabula rasa – Ohad Naharin, choregrapher.
1961
Public authorities take over the arts administration in order to broaden access to culture.
1963
Tu auras comme nom Tristan, Jef Maes – composer. Janine Charrat, choregrapher.
1967
Herbert Graf creates the Centre lyrique International.
1971
Eugene Onegin, Piotr Ilitch Tchaikovsky. Armin Jordan, Musical Director ; George Balanchine, Director.
1980
Le Songe d’une nuit d’été – Oscar Araiz, choregrapher.
1984
Les Sept Péchés capitaux, Francis Poulenc (music) – Oscar Araiz, choregrapher.
From 1992
The municipal cultural strategy focuses on opening access to culture for young people.
1951 Fire and the new theater (until 1962)
On May 1, 1951, the Grand Théâtre is on fire. At 12:08 p.m., during the rehearsal of Wagner’s Die Walküre, a bottle of compressed oxygen sets the stage and the stage house on fire. The iron curtain held for 20 minutes, the fire spread throughout the building. Only the façade, the foyers and the library were saved from the disaster. Should the theater be rebuilt? The City of Geneva answered yes, with a 14 million francs project to which the population answered no, by referendum in 1953. After a fire and a first refusal: the Grand Théâtre was in bad shape. Charles Schopfer and Marco Zavelani-Rossi (who designed the Teatro Regio in Turin) proposed a new project with a modern design but keeping its historical foyer and external façade. The estimate budget was 11.6 million francs. In 1962, the reopened building brought together two architectural influences, two architectural languages: Beaux-arts and the sixties. Above all, the theater boasted first-rate technical capabilities, its stage opening being 17.6 meters wide compared to 15.6 at Garnier and 13 at the Vienna Staatsoper. As a particularity among the world’s opera houses, the Grand Théâtre ceiling and iron curtain form one visual unit. The auditorium ceiling is decorated with a milky way that follows into to the famous fire iron. Called Alto, this work was designed by Jacek Stryjenski, with 1,200 light openings and 252 aluminum plates enhanced with gold and silver for a surface of 520m. This imitation heaven covers the rosewood-panelled house that counts approximately 1500 seats.
1951 Bayreuth, a theater of experimentation and the beginnings of Regietheater
Wieland Wagner : Parsifal (1951), Ring (1951) ; Rudolf Hartmann : Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1951).
1955 A new dramatic intensity in performance
Luchino Visconti and Maria Callas at La Scala.
1955 > 1960
The takeover by public authorities at the beginning of the 20th century is therefore based on a relatively recent but extremely strong tradition. However, for more than half a century, access to culture and interest in it remained essentially the preserve of the elites. The dominant classes affirmed their difference through institutional symbols such as the opera, the theater or the museum. Attendance was seen as a sign of belonging to the elite of society.
1961 > 1970
With the first real efforts of cultural democratization, the “old cultural order” was shaken off. Several factors contributed to the questioning of traditional cultural values: the debate on democratic access to culture was fuelled by the dynamics of consumption; the development of information and media; the easier access of pupils and students to shows and concerts; the success of art schools and the establishment of an artistic high school diploma.
The 1960s marked a turning point in the involvement of public authorities in the cultural field. The effort made by the City of Geneva was as much about making good use of the heritage entrusted to it as it was about developing new forms of culture and broadening access to them.
The creation of the Maison des jeunes et de la culture de Saint-Gervais, the Centres de loisirs et Maisons de quartier, and the Municipal Libraries) distributed cultural access over the urban territory. In 1965-1966, two major axes of innovative cultural policies emerged within the Geneva institution: the training of performers, but with public education and audience facilitation, bringing opera productions closer to the people, with free public invitations for staging, acting and technical demonstrations, invitations to dress rehearsals for students and schools in order to shape the audience of tomorrow. In 1967, Herbert Graf founded a school for young singers in the Grand Théâtre, the Centre lyrique international, going as far as the United States to recruit students.
1962
Marcel Lamy, General Manager.
1962
Foundation of the Grand Théâtre Opera Chorus – Giovanni Bria, Musical Director and foundation of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre – Janine Charrat, Artistic Director.
1962
Reopening of the Grand Théâtre de Genève with a production of Don Carlos, Giuseppe Verdi, composer – Christian Vöchting, Musical Director ; Marcel Lamy, Director.
1963
Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner, composer – Alberto Erede, Musical Director ; Wieland Wagner, Director.
1964
Serge Golovine, ballet Director.
1965
Herbert Graf, General Manager.
1965
Die Zauberflöte, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer– Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director ; Herbert Graf, Director ; Oskar Kokoschka, Set and Costume Designer.
1966
World premiere of La Mère coupable, Darius Milhaud, composer – Serge Baudo, Musical Director ; Louis Ducreux, Director.
1967
World creation in French of La Tempête, Frank Martin, composer – Ernest Ansermet, Musical Director ; Lotfi Mansouri, Director.
1969
Geroge Balanchine, ballet Director.
1968 A new "baroque style" emerges
Jean-Pierre Ponnelle Il barbiere di Siviglia (Salzburger Festspiele).
1970 > 1990
From the beginning of the 1970s with the emergence of youth culture, a number of civil society organizations active in various fields of artistic expression came into being: Festival de la Bâtie, AMR, Le New Morning, Le Moulin à Danse (MAD), the École du Grütli were the creative centres of this movement centers. The commitment of young people for another form of culture came forth from demands for an autonomous cultural centre by people of an alternative lifestyle. New types of urban cultural spaces appeared in disused industrial buildings. Cultural squats emerged in private buildings left empty by owners caught in the property bubble. These new practices required new answers from the public authorities in terms of premises and subsidies. Within the framework of the financial program of 1980-1983 and then that of 1982-1985, the Grand Théâtre de Genève benefited from the support of the Administrative Council and implemented the main axis of its cultural policy: the continuation of high-level productions.
1971
Eugène Onéguine, Piotr Ilitch Tchaikovsky, composer – Armin Jordan, Musical Director ; George Balanchine, Director.
1973
Jean-Claude Riber, General Manager.
1976 Chéreau/Boulez
In Bayreuth, Patrice Chéreau and Der Ring des Nibelungen. Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Boulez transcend Wagner’s Ring by focusing not only on the psychology of the characters but also on the political, economic and social context.
1977
In May, two cycles of Richard Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen – Ehrling Sixten, Musical Director ; Jean-Claude Riber, Director ; Joseph Svoboda, Set Designer.
1978
Peter van Dyk, ballet Director.
1980
Hugues Gall, General Manager.
1980
Oscar Araiz, ballet Director.
1980
Don Giovanni, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer – Horst Stein, Musical Director; Maurice Béjart, Director ; with Ruggero Raimondi. For his first opera choice as CEO, Hugues Gall presents a memorable production of Don Giovanni.
1983 The first surtitles in opera
Displayed on a screen or projected above a stage
1984
Un ballo in maschera, Giuseppe Verdi, composer – Riccardo Chailly, Musical Director ; Jean-Marie Simon, Director ; with Luciano Pavarotti.
1985
World première of Le Retour de Casanova, Girolamo Arrigo, composer – Reynald Giovaninetti, Musical Director ; Jorge Lavelli, Director.
1987
World première of La Forêt, Rolf Liebermann, composer – Jeffrey Tate, Musical Director ; Gilbert Deflo, Director.
1988
Gradimir Pankov, ballet Director.
The 90s
With Renée Auphan as general manager, the Grand Théâtre moved to the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (BFM) to present its productions. In 1997-1998, the building situated at place de Neuve was closed for major technical work, allowing the orchestra pit to be enlarged and automated, the backstage areas to be enlarged, the controls in the stage house to be computerized, and the use of hydraulics, which was much quieter. The number of electrical circuits doubled from 250 to 500. The renovation also benefits the audience, with carpeting removed in the house and atrium and wooden acoustic panels placed on the back of the seats. Cost of the work : 20 million francs.
1990 > 2010
At the beginning of the 1990s, despite the recession, the Grand Theatre continued to be financially supported by the public authorities in order to be able to operate successfully. From 1995, this crisis worsened. In this context, the first objective of the Department of Cultural Affairs (DAC/1991) was to guarantee the financial stability of the existing cultural institutions and to reach an agreement with the subsidized organizations that provided for a 5% decrease in subsidies but a guarantee of 4 years at this level. Since 1992, the municipal cultural strategy focuses on the open access to the culture, for young people, seniors and people who live outside of accepted norms/in social jeopardy. These measures made it possible to open up access to institutions such as the Grand Théâtre to a wider audience, particularly to Geneva schools. In 2001, creation of the 20 years / 20 francs card.
1995
René Auphan, General Manager.
1996
Giorgio Mancini (Artistic Director) et François Passard (Executive Director), ballet co-Directors.
1997
Orphée aux Enfers, Jacques Offenbach, composer – Marc Minkowski, Musical Director ; Laurent Pelly, Director.
2000
2000
World première of Beatrix Cenci, Alberto Ginastrera. Gisèle Ben-Dor, Musical Director ; Francisco Negri, Director.
2007
First live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera in different cinemas in Europe with The First Emperor by Tan Dun.
2017
The Figaro Trilogy at the Opéra des Nations.
2019
Einstein on the Beach, Philip Glass, composer – Swiss Première. Titus Engel, Musical Director ; Daniele Finzi Pasca, Director.
2021
Huit Minutes, Swiss premiere of a new opera designed by the OperaLab.ch collective.
2022
World premiere of Ukiyo-e. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, choregrapher.
2001
Creation of the 20 ans / 20 francs card.
2005
World premiere of Loin. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, choregrapher.
2014
Two cycles of Richard Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen. Ingo Metzmacher, Musical Director ; Dieter Dorn, Director ; Jürgen Rose, Costumes and Set Designer.
2019
Adoption of the initiative ”for a coherent cultural policy in Geneva”.
Mars 2020
COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Février 2022
End of anti-COVID measures.
2022
Sleepless, Peter Eötvös, composer. World première, co-commissioned with the Berlin Staatsoper.
2001
World premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Amanda Miller, choregrapher.
2006
World premiere of Coppélia. Cisco Aznar, choregrapher.
2015
World premiere of Tristan & Isolde. Joëlle Bouvier, choregrapher.
12 february 2019
The Grand Théâtre de Genève reopens with a performance of Das Rheingold.
2021
War and Peace, Sergei Prokofiev, composer. First performance in Switzerland.
2022
Turandot by Giacomo Puccini in the version with the Luciano Berio finale – Daniel Kramer, Director.
2004
World premiere of Selon désir. Andonis Foniadakis, choregrapher.
2005
World premiere of Casse-Noisette. Benjamin Millepied, choregrapher.
2015/2018
For three seasons, the Grand Théâtre moves into the Opéra des Nations, a temporary theater located on the Plaine Rigot.
2019
End of the renovation work at the Grand Théâtre de Genève historic premises. New spaces and full conformity with regulations.
2021
Anna Bolena, Gaetano Donizetti, composer – Stefano Montanari, Musical Director ; Mariame Clément, Director. First performance at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
2005
Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner. Armin Jordan, Musical Director ; Olivier Py, Director.
2012
World première of JJR (Citoyen de Genève), Philippe Fénelon. Jean Deroyer, Musical Director ; Robert Carsen, Director.
19 december 2015
The façade of the Grand Théâtre incurs serious damages when a demonstration spins out of control.
2020
The Makropulos Affair, Leoš Janáček, composer. First performance at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
2022
Atys, Jean-Baptiste Lully, composer – Angelin Preljocaj, Director.
2000
World première of Beatrix Cenci, Alberto Ginastrera, composer – Gisèle Ben-Dor, Musical Director ; Francisco Negri, Director.
2001
Jean-Marie Blanchard, General Manager
2003
Philippe Cohen, ballet Director.
2005
Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner, composer – Armin Jordan, Musical Director ; Olivier Py, Director.
2007 Opera goes live
First live broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera in different cinemas in Europe with The First Emperor by Tan Dun.
2008
Devil’s Trilogy, Olivier Py, Director. Der Freischütz, Carl Maria von Weber, composer – John Nelson, Musical Director. La Damnation de Faust, Hector Berlioz, composer – John Nelson, Musical Director. Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Jacques Offenbach, composer – Patrick Davin, Musical Director.
2009
Tobias Richter, General Manager.
2010 > 2019
On May 16, 2013, framework municipal legislation on culture was drafted in order to determine the role and tasks of the canton in terms of cultural strategy. In October, the first subsidy agreement was signed between the City, the State of Geneva and the Grand Théâtre Foundation. On December 19, 2015, an unauthorized demonstration to protest against financial restrictions in culture degenerated on a Saturday night, causing property damages. The Grand Theatre was defaced by graffiti and paintballs. On January 1, 2017, the law on the distribution of tasks (LRT) between the Geneva municipalities and the canton in matters of culture came into force. On June 12, a study by the University of Management revealed that creative and cultural activities generate 4.5 billion francs, or 9.5% of the canton’ GDP. In May 2019, an initiative “for a coherent cultural policy in Geneva”, proposed to re-think the cantonal cultural policy around three ideas: support for creation, co-financing of institutions and consultation between all public authorities. The point was to include, in the Constitution, the principle of a dialogue between public authorities and co-financing parties.
2012
World première of JJR (Citoyen de Genève), Philippe Fénelon (composer), composed as part of the tercentary of the birth of Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Jean Deroyer, Musical Director ; Robert Carsen, Director.
2014
Two cycles of Richard Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen – Ingo Metzmacher, Musical Director ; Dieter Dorn, Director ; Jürgen Rose, Costumes and Set Designer.
2015
Medea Tryptic (through 2019). Medea, Luigi Cherubini, composer – Marko Letonja, Musical Director ; Christof Loy, Director. Il Giasone, Francesco Cavalli, composer – Leonardo García Alarcón, Musical Director – Serena Sinigaglia, Director. Medea, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, composer – Leonardo García Alarcón, Musical Director – David McVicar, Director.
2017
Figaro’s Trilogy. Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Gioachino Rossini, composer – Jonathan Nott (OSR), Musical Director ; Sam Brown, Director. Le Nozze di Figaro, Wolfgang Mozart, composer – Marko Letonja, Musical Director ; Tobias Richter, Director. Figaro Gets a Divorce, Elena Langer, composer – Justin Brown, Musical Director ; David Pountney, Director.
2019
Reprise of the cycle of Richard Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen – Georg Fritzsch, Musical Director ; Dieter Dorn, Director for the inauguration of the renovated Grand Théâtre de Genève after three years of closure and to celebrate the end of Tobias Richter’s management.
2019
Aviel Cahn, General Manager.
2019
Einstein on the beach, Philip Glass, composer – Swiss Première. Titus Engel, Musical Director ; Daniele Finzi Pasca, Director.
2019 Year of the reopening
After three years of work, the Grand Théâtre was transformed, expanded, restored and adapted to the needs of a 21st century opera house. Contemporary public spaces, an additional 1,000 m2, restored foyers and marble floors, redesigned work spaces. The renovation, financed by the City of Geneva, has given the building a new identity. The renovated building was inaugurated on February 12, 2019 with the reprise of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, in the 2013 production of the Ring of the Nibelung by Dieter Dorn and Jürgen Rose. The renovation meets three objectives: heritage, functionality and safety. Deteriorated decorative elements on the façade and in the reception areas required major restoration – work and rehearsal spaces needed to be adapted and enlarged, while many areas required conformity to safety standards. Led by the City of Geneva, the renovation was carried out by the architects François Dulon (March and partners) and Danilo Ceccarini (Linea) and Beric (supervision). The work required the intervention of numerous craftspeople: embroiderers, stucco workers, gilders, painters, sculptors, stone carvers, in particular to recover and restore motifs that had almost been destroyed.
2020
L’Affaire Makropoulos, Leoš Janáček, composer. First performance at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
2021
Huit Minutes, a swiss creation imagined as a team by the OperaLab.ch collective and its composer Leonardo Marino, within the framework of the innovative and interdisciplinary project bringing together young creative alumni of French-speaking universities.
2021
Guerre et Paix, Sergeï Prokofiev, composer. First performance in Switzerland.
2021
Anna Bolena, Gaetano Donizetti, composer – Stefano Montanari, Musical Director ; Mariame Clément, Director. First performance at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
2022
Atys, Jean-Baptiste Lully, composer – Angelin Preljocaj, Director.
2022
Sleepless, Peter Eötvös, composer. World première, co-commissioned with the Berlin Staatsoper. Sleepless is named by Opernwelt “Best Creation” of the 2021/22 season.
2022
Turandot by Giacomo Puccini in the version with the finale composed by Luciano Berio – Daniel Kramer, Director. The production features a gigantic image, video, laser and light design by the Japanese collective teamLab.
Turandot sous les étoiles, projection of the opera at the Parc des Eaux-Vives, on a large screen.
2022
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, ballet Director.
Texts : Olivier Gurtner, Tania Rutigliani, Anne Zendali Dimopoulos. Translation : Christopher Park
