The Salle Ventadour was one of the temporary venues that played host to the Opera. From January to December 1874, the troupe of the Opera shared the stage with the troupe of the Théâtre-Italien. Despite the scheduling problems for the artists, the public was delighted with the variety of the dual season.
The Opera’s primary problem during this period was that it no longer had any sets. Concerts of Wagner and Rubinstein were presented in lieu of productions that could no longer be staged for lack of scenic elements and equipment.
Even so, the Opera was able to make do with some sets borrowed from the Théâtre Italien’s depository. As a result, in January 1874, Mozart’s Don Juan was staged in an unusual scenographic hodgepodge that employed sets from Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Act I, sets from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor for the Village Scene, sets from Verdi’s La Traviata for the Ball sequence, and finally, sets from Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia for the supper in Act II.
On December 30th 1874, with construction of the new Palais Garnier complete, the Opera left the Salle Ventadour.
