New-York tribune., 1912-02-25
A NEW THEATRE FOR PARIS
Beautiful Building for Opera,
Concerts and Drama.

Paris. feOrudIN IL
Paris Is 10 have a new theatre. 1t Will
be called lie Theatre des Champs Elysees,
and will comprise q big music hall for
operas. concerts and oratorios and
smaller auditorium for light comedies,
sketches and lectures. II Will be situated
in the Avenue Montaigne, quite near the
Seine. a couple Of hundred yards from the
"RonG- Point" Of the Champs Elysees, ana
consequently IN the heart Of the fashiona-
bic quarter OF Paris. Building began
year ago. and il is hoped that the theatre
will BE- completed by December, 1912. owing
to its proximity to the river, great precau-
tions have been taken to protect the build
ing from the danger OF being inundated
Consequently. il is being constructed on
gigantic raft OF "clment arme,' or iron
moulded in Portland cement. At present
the site OF the theatre resembles huge
canalboat made OF "ciment arme' upon
foundation or stone which will enable the
structure to resist the greatest possible
force OF subterTanean foods.
NJ. Gabriel Astruc, the manager OF the
new theatre, accompanied your correspond
ent over the grounds, and described the
main features Of the edfce. The arcni-
lecture will be Of tho Grecian style, so as
TO he in keeping with the buildings in the
same locality. such a the Grand and Pett
palaces OF the Champs Ely sees, the Palace
Bourbon and the Ministry Of Marine. the
principal material used In construction is
Portland cement and iron. and this viii
have castings and revetments of white mar
bic. The severity OF style will De softened
by works OF bass-relief sculpture represent
Ting Apollo and the MUSES. by Bourdelle,
which win ornament the main front on the
Avenue Montaigne marble marquise Will
project the entrance from rain, so that
ladies IN evening dress can alight in COM
fort from their carriages. Large doors
open into a spacious marble vestibule. on
tho sides OF which are the booking offices.
This hall will he provided with seats and
benches and a palmarlum and will contain
a buffet The hall leads to the auditorium
for operas and concerts. The orchestra IS
to be placed beneath the floor. as at Bay
reuth.
The ventilation is devised after the latest
American arrangements. and the heatinS
is to be bv means Of hot water pipes be-
meath the floor There will be no chande-
liers The lighting will DC entirely by re-
nectlon no direct lighting to dazzle the
eyes Electric lights will run behind tho
cor7ic,s and above large semi-opaque
shields hanging from the glass dome roof
Among the many innovations is an arrange
mont by which the numbers of the seats
are illuminated by small electric lamps, s."
that the occupant may readily find his or
her stall. and these lights are automatical-
Is oNunguished ny The action of sittlnS
Gown. In the auditorium four enormous
pyl,ns mount to the summit.
The done. which is seventeen feet high
ami go feet in circumference. is to be
decorated ly NJ Maurice Denis who viii
relate IN history OF muse by means OF four
la:ge rrescoes. Of the dance, the sym
phony the opera. end the lyric drama
Studies OF these works are already COM
plcted. The dance has Mediterranean
setting. The color tones are soft blues ana
plnks. Apollo. reclining 10y the seaside
gaZes at groups Of nude or scantily drapcd
figures dancing with upliftcd hands after
the fashion Of antique Grocian models. In
a corner bacchanalian groups, in mauve and
rlangs perform the frantic steps OF the
orgies of Dionysug. The symphony COM
prscs groups i'm an academic grove. Bee
thovcn Is conducting "A chorus OF nnc i'm
mortal daughters. Near by Is Bach. ann
rlcse to him arc two pathetic figures per-
sonifyius the mass in &. sorroWful and
weeping. and the Mass In re. thouShtful
and dicnihcd. Then comes Haydn. and
cl, yolv following arc dIscrcetly evoked
laughing masks of Schumann's Carnival.
The decorative panel representing The
Opera Is more modern i'm conception
The colors arc iridesccnt green's and
I ~
1t is Versailles. with its terraces. gardens
and fountains. There are portraits at
Rameau. Gluck. Lulll and Monteverdc.
There Is the. Mozart group, with Don Juan
caperng about with, Ierlna. The panel II
the Lyric Drama is the most Important or
the four. In the centre is Parsifal raising
the Grail. To the left is the Wagner
group then comes the Berlioz group. with
the ''Troyens' and Course fAbime."
To the right, as a counterpart to. romantic
ism. is the "Franckist Renaissance"
Psyche and THE Beatitudes" brighten
the sky. There are figures of Melisande
and of ManOn Louise. and realistic fig
ures uf Charpentler and Bruneau walk
! about. ana Ia the Russian group the
dancer NlihskS IN strawberry cOlorrd
drapery springs about like some gigantic
freely The ,mrdaliOns- there are Upward
uf twenty eight of then--represent virgins
play ing flutes or harps or antique instru-
ments and who -personlfy the Sonatu. the
Cantata Church Music and the esprit"
OF Chamber Music, such as those given in
the house of Count Kessler, at Weimar: at
the Hotel Mutzenbacker, at Welsbadan
and in the villa OF Charles Stern. at Passy
This vast and ambitious work will ac-
cording to all expectations. oe the chef
d'muvre of NJ Maurice Denis.
The sculpture, which has been intrustod
entirely to NJ Bourdele, viii comprise
twenty-one large marble figures. fvc bass
reliefs and a vast freze sixty feet in
! height, representing Apollo and the Muses.
n