Origin and history
The Salle Pleyel, located at 252 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, was inaugurated on October 18, 1927. Designed by Gustave Lyon, an engineer-acoustician, and architects Jean-Marcel Auburtin, André Granet and Jean-Baptiste Mathon, it embodies the architectural and acoustic innovation of his time. Its Art Deco style, marked by clean lines and decors signed by Raymond Subes or Baguès, makes it an emblematic monument to the Parisian heritage of the 20th century. The room is built to promote the pianos Pleyel, heirs of a factory founded in 1807 by Ignace Pleyel, composer and official piano maker of the king.
With an initial capacity of 3,000 seats, the room was ravaged by a fire in 1928, reducing its gauge to 2,546 places after reconstruction. From its beginnings it welcomed the greatest orchestras and soloists, becoming a high place in Parisian musical life. In 1933, the bankruptcy of the company Pleyel led to the purchase of the hall by Crédit Lyonnais, which remained its owner until 1998. During this period, the room diversifys its programming, welcoming jazz (Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis) as well as singers of varieties (Dalida, Charles Trenet) or political events.
Ranked a historic monument in 2002, the Salle Pleyel was profoundly renovated in 2006 under the impetus of Hubert Martigny, who then gave it to the Cité de la musique. In 2015, with the opening of the Philharmonie de Paris, her vocation evolves: she is entrusted to the group Fimalac for 15 years, with the mission to specialize in modern amplified music (rock, electro, jazz). The work of 2016 transforms its acoustics and aesthetics, marking the end of its historic classical programming.
The architecture of the room, inspired by ancient theatres, rests on a funnel structure and a parabolic ceiling designed for optimal acoustics. Successive renovations (1958, 1981, 1994, 2006) attempted to correct its defects, including a persistent echo. In 2006, the removal of the false ceiling and the addition of side balconies improved the diffusion of sound. The entrance hall, restored in its original Art Deco style, retains its Subes ironwork, Baguès luminaires and gold mosaic.
The Salle Pleyel was the setting for major creations, such as the Concierto in Ravel's soil (1932) or the works of Boulez and Berio. She also hosted legendary recordings, from Miles Davis to France Gall. In 2010, a historic 15-hour concert celebrates the bicentenary of Chopin, with 60 pianists playing on a Pleyel P280, model launched in 2004. This piano, heir to a "French" romantic tradition, recalls Chopin's attachment to the brand, which played only Pleyel at his concerts.
Today managed by Fimalac, the theatre offers an eclectic program, from the César du cinéma (2017–2020) to the concerts of Benjamin Biolay or Sofiane Pamart. Its status as a historical monument protects its remarkable elements: facade, vestibule, rotunda, gallery-house and Chopin room. Despite its transformations, it remains a symbol of Parisian musical modernity, between classical heritage and contemporary innovation.
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