The auditoriums

The Salle Pleyel

The renovations that were conceived and undertaken by IDSH respond to the ambitions of a project to recover the plainness and purity that characterised the original aesthetic of the place. The restoration of the façades, of the hall, of the foyer and the interior of the hall, give the whole a more seductive appearance and greatly improve its comfort. The work also provided the occasion to enlarge and reconfigure the spaces allotted to the public and to the artists. They make it possible to transform the conditions for playing and listening by optimising the acoustics of the hall.

Lost architecture recovered: with respect to the requirements of the Monuments Historiques, the façade, the hall and its rotunda have recovered their quasi original Art Deco elegance. The hall, notably, has regained its majesty along with its light shaft. The rotunda is once again open to the old exhibition rooms that were converted into dance studios in the 1960’s. These latter, transformed into a vast foyer at the back of the orchestra rows and giving on to the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, provide a complementary reception area of more than 600 square metres, to which two private spaces are added.

The re-thinking of playing conditions: so as to be able to welcome the orchestras in residence — who do all or some of their rehearsals there — and invited orchestras at the same time, all the dressing rooms, greenrooms and technical spaces have been reorganised. The building allocated to the musicians, that includes the dressing rooms, the cloakrooms, the recording studio and common rooms, has been rebuilt around a new stairwell to respond to the professional demands of large international orchestras.

The design of the auditorium

High-performance acoustics: the creation of side balconies has enabled to homogenise sound distribution. They function like louvres, contributing precocious sound reflections and so improve clarity and the sensation of envelopment. The modification of the ceiling and the lateral walls result in a nearly 20% optimisation of the room’s volume and contribute an increase in reverberation time. The playing area has been strictly rearranged in order to receive the audience right up to the edge of the stage and to generate more efficient acoustics. At the same time, in the back of the room, the depth under the balconies has been reduced to diminish the distance between the musicians and the listener, while contributing impressions of clarity and presence of sound.

Quality listening: the improvement in comfort levels, an essential part of this renovation, is seen in the installation of new chairs, a reduction in the number of seats so as to give each one more room (1,913 seats compared to 3,000 in 1927) and an improvement in visibility by the re-terracing of the balconies. In the same way, orchestra seating has been lightened and now has a little less than 1,000 seats. At the back of the stage, the choir benches can accommodate some 160 people. The first balcony has roughly 400 seats and the second 300. Each of the four side balconies can seat 19 people.

New stage set equipment: the whole of the stage has been re-arranged with enhanced spatial volume, a larger stage and a redesigned proscenium. These modifications, associated with the addition of powerful technical equipment, notably the installation of an entirely mechanised and mobile stage, facilitate the adaptation of every kind of repertoire.