Following the assassination of the Duc de Berry at the Opera, the theatre in the Rue de Richelieu was permanently closed and King Louis XVIII ordered the construction of a temporary theatre.
Whilst that work was underway, the Opera moved to the Salle Favart for a season. Originally built for the Opéra-Comique in 1783, it had been home to the Théâtre-Italien since 1815.
On April 19th, 1820, the Opera opened its new season with Sacchini’s Œdipe à Colone and Nina ou la Folle par amour, a ballet in two acts by Milon and Persuis. The repertoire was scarcely different from that of the theatre in the Rue de Richelieu, except for the fact that the Salle Favart was smaller (it could only accommodate an audience of 1,165) and was unable to host major opera and ballet productions.
Two official ceremonies marked the Opera’s transfer to the Salle Favart. On September 29th, 1820, to celebrate the birth of the Duc de Bordeaux, the Opera’s Chorus sang the interludes for Racine’s Athalie, performed by the actors of the Comédie Française. Then, for the royal infant’s baptism in May 1821, the Opera’s troupe performed Blanche de Provence ou La Cour des fées, a work composed by Cherubini, Boieldieu, Berton, Paër and Kreutzer.
In May 1821, the Opera was obliged to vacate the Salle Favart and move temporarily to the Salle Louvois.
