Sessions
Seminar | So many tragic conclusions at the Opéra-Comique! In light of Werther and to celebrate the return to the Opéra-Comique of an allegory of Lyrical Drama sculpted by Alexandre Falguière, we will explore how drama has consistently shaped the institution’s repertoire, driven by a blend of European influences, the tastes of its audience, and political events.
In partnership with the Université Lumière Lyon 2 and the Centre national des arts plastiques.
Free upon registration | Salle Bizet
La statue du « Drame Lyrique »
The incredible journey of the drame lyrique statue
In February 1899, two statues were installed in the entrance hall of the new Salle Favart. The one now known as Manon, created by Antonin Mercié, was originally an allegory of 18th-century Opéra- Comique. Beside it stood not the current Carmen, but an allegory of lyrical drama by Alexandre Falguière (1831-1900). At the entrance of the theatre, thus stood side by side repertoire and creation, tradition and modernity.
In spring 1919, Le Drame lyrique was removed and replaced by a Carmen by Guiraud-Rivière, which led to the reclassification of Mercié’s statue as Manon. From then on, two modern heroines of the Opéra-Comique stood side by side—creations by Bizet (1875) and Massenet (1884). Reintegrated into state reserves in 1932, Falguière's statue was entrusted to the city of Angers in 1936.
In 1981, it reappeared in Berlin in the inventory of the Staatliche Museen. It had been part of the Berlin collections since the war but had not been formally recorded due to the lack of acquisition or donation records. In 1992, Anne Pingeot, curator at the Musée d'Orsay, photographed the statue in a Berlin museum’s storeroom and made the connection to the decorative heritage of the Opéra- Comique.
Since 2020, an investigation involving Laurent Falguière, the greatgrandson of the sculptor, the Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique, the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, and the Centre national des arts plastiques (CNAP) confirmed the provenance of the Berlin statue, though the exact stages of its journey remain unclear. A restitution request made by the CNAP in November 2022 received a positive response from the Stiftung Preuẞischer Kulturbesitz in March 2023.
Repatriated in December 2024, Le Drame lyrique is being restored by the CNAP until its reinstallation in our theatre in January 2026, in conjunction with the performances of Werther, Massenet's lyrical drama.
