Musical life at the Grand Théâtre de Genève
Auteur(s)
- Richard Cole
Richard COLE, La vie musicale au Grand Théâtre de Genève entre 1879 et 1918, 1999.
ISBN : 2-88433-011-9Résumé
A period that has been unfairly overlooked, the forty years between the inauguration of a sumptuous new opera house in Place Neuve and the founding of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande by Ernest Ansermet attests to a wealth of musical life that some may find surprising. Prestigious composers such as Jules Massenet, Gustave Doret and Edouard Lalo come to conduct their own works at the Grand Théâtre. The venue has played host to some legendary names such as Galli-Marié (Carmen, Mignon), Jean-Baptiste Faure (Hamlet) and Amalia Materna (The Valkyrie) in the roles they had created. Massenet’s Hérodiade, Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), and Wagner’s Lohengrin and The Valkyrie were all enjoyed by audiences in Geneva before they were performed in Paris. Driven by its founder, Hugo de Senger, the Orchestre du Théâtre put on concerts for subscribers, the programmes for which raise the Genevan people’s awareness of the music of the age, often conducted by the composers themselves, from Camille Saint-Saëns to Vincent d'Indy, from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to Igor Stravinsky. From the late 19th century onwards, efforts aimed at establishing a ‘national school’ were reflected in the programmes of the Grand Théâtre, where, among others, two operas by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze and orchestral works by numerous Swiss composers were created. The horrors and twists of fate brought by the First World War would later put an end to this ‘golden age’, before the Orchestre du Théâtre was disbanded to make way for the new ensemble envisaged by Ernest Ansermet. Whilst it is somewhat forgotten these days, musical life at the Grand Théâtre between 1879 and 1918 nonetheless constitutes an exciting phase, without which we couldn’t possibly imagine the music of Geneva as we know it today.
