The
Opéra-Comique is a
Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular
theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the
Comédie-Italienne at the
Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the
Théâtre-Italien up to about 1793, when it again became most commonly known as the Opéra-Comique. Today the company's official name is
Théâtre national de l'Opéra-Comique, and its theatre, with a capacity of around 1,248 seats, sometimes referred to as the Salle Favart (the third on this site), is located in
Place Boïeldieu, in the
2nd arrondissement of Paris, not far from the
Palais Garnier, one of the theatres of the
Paris Opéra. The musicians and others associated with the Opéra-Comique have made important contributions to operatic history and tradition in France, and to French opera. Its current mission is to reconnect with its history, and discover its unique repertoire, to ensure production and dissemination of operas for the wider public. Mainstays of the repertory at the Opéra-Comique during its history have included the following works which have each been performed more than 1,000 times by the company:
Cavalleria Rusticana,
Le chalet,
La dame blanche,
Le domino noir,
La fille du régiment,
Lakmé,
Manon,
Mignon,
Les noces de Jeannette,
Le pré aux clercs,
Tosca,
La bohème,
Werther and
Carmen, the last having been performed more than 2,500 times.