No more mystery at the Opéra national du Rhin (ONR) in Strasbourg. After numerous exchanges and reflections over the last three years of the Information and Evaluation Mission (MIE), Mayor Jeanne Barseghian announced Thursday that the ONR was going to be the subject of “a vast renovation and restructuring”. With “the ambition to transform our charming municipal theater into a contemporary opera house at the height of our European capital”.
Work will begin in 2026 for a period of three years. And so that the show can continue, seasons “outside the walls” still have to be thought about, imagined. An opportunity according to Alain Perroux, director of the ONR, to “open up to new audiences, to meet audiences other than that of subscribers committed to the cause”. Still, for the moment, no place has been identified in particular.
years to decide
The centerpiece of Place Broglie in Strasbourg, famous for its columns listed as historical monuments since 1921 and its Italian-style hall, the building has become dilapidated and incapable of hosting the opera of the 21st century. The announcement of a renovation and restructuring of the existing thus puts an end to years of hesitation, on the form and on the content, of the project even if it still requires reflection: what is the cultural project in with the other cultural facilities of the city? What synergies at regional, cross-border, European level?
Regardless, the “political” decision of Mayor Jeanne Barseghian was promised and eagerly awaited. Because for more than twenty years now, the various Strasbourg executives have been passing on the hot potato, the thorny and complex dossier, with the primary necessity of bringing it into compliance. The reception of the public is indeed discouraged by the safety commissions since 1997 and the opera advanced with blows of derogations.
Of course, to deal with the emergency, successive municipal teams had carried out work, including partial security in 2005 with the addition of a building and two temporary staircases. Then between 2010 and 2012 with the reinforcement of the lifting systems above the stage and the renovation of the roof and the column gallery. Insufficient. Smallness of the place, technical constraints, accessibility, the majestic opera was out of breath.
In 2021, the fact-finding and assessment mission had delivered its first conclusions and proposed two options: the inevitable but costly return to safety with a renovation and extension of the building, which is difficult because space is limited, or the return to safety of the current building and the construction of a new opera house outside the city centre. Another option that held the rope although very expensive because estimated at more than 200 million euros!
Where will the cursor be placed?
The mayor has therefore decided. It now remains to be decided, as Jeanne Barseghian has repeatedly pointed out, where the cursor will be placed. “If we only take into account “a simple” restoration of the security of the premises, the cost would be 25 million euros. But if the renovation is wider, with extensions, perhaps on the Place du Petit Broglie, the cost could reach 65-70 million euros, or even more, ”she estimates. An investment that will of course depend on the multi-partner economic and financial model. On that depends the gauge, currently 1,200 seats and which could be increased, the unsuitable orchestra pit, the possibility or not of raising the stage, of creating a rehearsal room for the dancers… So that the opera is definitely coming back on stage for decades to come.