5 fun facts about the Lille Opera House

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Lille Opera, discover 5 unusual facts that have marked the building's history...

Portrait of architect Louis Marie Cordonnier by Bibliothèque nationale de LilleOpéra de Lille

1. The Opera's architect was hired thanks to a ruse

In 1907, the municipality launched a competition for the construction of a new building.

When he entered the competition, architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier was already in charge of the construction of the Chamber of Commerce, in the regionalist style so dear to his heart.

He's a well-known architect, but also a jealous one. He knows that his participation in the competition is not welcome, and that part of the jury would like to see him eliminated.

In the face of this hostility, he secretly submitted two projects, although only one was authorized by the rules. The first, regionalist, betrays his identity despite the anonymity of the competition.

The second, in a neoclassical style (Paris Opera) unusual for Cordonnier, was a great success. This project, distinguished by its desire to reproduce an Italian-style auditorium, was chosen by the City of Lille from among 17 proposals.

It's one of the last of its kind to be built in France.

Portrait of architect Edgar-P.-Jacobs by editions-DargaudOpéra de Lille

2. A famous cartoonist started his career here

Before Edgar P. Jacobs was the illustrator of the European-famous comic strip Blake and Mortimer, he led an intense career as an opera singer, performing all the great roles of the repertoire!

In 1923, with his first prize for excellence in his pocket, he was hired at the Lille Opera by its director, Paul Frady.

In Lille's municipal archives, a photo of him was found in the Opéra de Lille's programs for 1931. He is in stage costume, with cane and top hat, and was part of the Opéra's sedentary troupe at the time.

Unfortunately, Jacobs was not to have a very long career at the Opéra de Lille, as conditions were very strict at the time for foreign artists wishing to sing on French stages, even from Belgium...

The economic crisis of 1929 made programmers cautious, and the Second World War changed the situation overnight.

After the conflict, the lyrical situation did not allow him to continue his solo career, and he preferred to concentrate on comic strips, which he had always done alongside singing.

Edith Piaf (1946) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection

3. Edith Piaf gives her last concert there

Welcome to the sixties!

Edith Piaf (1946) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection

While opera singers still came to perform at the Grand Théâtre, the time was also ripe for French variety. And it was at the Grand Théâtre that audiences came to hear Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel in concert.

Edith Piaf (1946) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection

The legend Édith Piaf gave her final concert there on March 31, 1963.
The singer came with her orchestra and close friends despite her illness.

Red armchairs auditorium by Thomas ChénéOpéra de Lille

4. Blue is the warmest color

Cordonnier's watercolor plans favored blue for the armchairs in the Grande Salle.

Red armchairs 1st gallery auditorium by Fréderic IovinoOpéra de Lille

But in the end it was red that won out.

Red armchairs 1st gallery auditorium by Thomas ChénéOpéra de Lille

Indeed, all those involved in the project at the time opted for the more conventional red and gold, more representative of Italian-style halls.

Ballroom parquet by Jean-Baptiste CagnyOpéra de Lille

5. A huge ballroom floor to party on!

To celebrate the building's 100th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of its reopening in 2023, the Lille Opera is installing a 600m² ephemeral ballroom floor over the entire parterre of the Grande Salle.

Installation of ballroom flooringOpéra de Lille

5. A huge ballroom floor to party on!

Découvrez les coulisses du Bal du Siècle !

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