Classical music
Often perceived as a sleeping beauty around its water jet, Geneva nevertheless maintains a very lively musical life. To see this, music lovers only have to go to the Place de Neuve, on the other side of the Plainpalais plain. This is where the district dedicated to music is located. You will find the Grand Théâtre de Genève - which is none other than the Opera of Geneva -, a magnificent building with a false air of the Palais Garnier. With its molded, gilded and faux-marble foyer, its modernist auditorium (rebuilt after the 1951 fire) and its high-flying program - which has become hyper-audacious under the leadership of Aviel Cahn - the place is a true Geneva institution. A must in Switzerland for a performance of lyrical and choreographic art, a recital or even a play. On the same square (Place Neuve), you can also find the Conservatory of Music where the Geneva International Music Competition takes place every year. A little further on, behind the Maison des arts du Grütli, stands the Victoria Hall, a concert venue with a neo-classical façade and exceptional acoustics. The place is the emblematic headquarters of the Orchestre de la Suisse romande (OSR), one of the most prestigious symphonic ensembles in the country. Founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet - an illustrious musician who between 1915 and 1923 was entrusted with the musical direction of the Ballets Russes by Serge de Diaghilev -, the OSR is very good at handling works by Milhaud or Stravinsky and has been conducted by such luminaries as Neeme Järvi (between 2012 and 2015). Less famous than the latter but important in the Swiss classical music, the OSR was also conducted by Armin Jordan, one of the great conductors of the country who has also conducted many operas in France (Lyon, Nancy, Bordeaux, more sporadically Marseille).
It should be noted that in addition to its concert halls, Geneva has a number of fine events that give pride of place to classical music. Among them, Musiques en été is clearly one of the highlights of the year with a very fine program of classical music, jazz and opera in exceptional venues. For the early risers, the famous summer event Aubes musicales allows to attend a beautiful concert - free and in the open air - every morning from 6 to 7 am, during the sunrise, at the Bains des Pâquis. A magnificent awakening with a great deal of classical music (what better way to welcome the sun?). For the more adventurous souls, the Archipel festival, held between the end of March and the beginning of April, is dedicated to today's music and in particular to contemporary scholarly creation through distinguished guests (Carter, Harvey, Ligeti, etc. in the past).
Current music
Don't be fooled by its quiet appearance, Geneva has long been home to a vibrant alternative scene. If the 1960s belong to Zurich and Basel - epicenters of rock'n'roll in the country with bands like Les Sauterelles, the Swiss Beatles -, Geneva will become an active musical center at the end of the 1970s, during the emergence of the punk scene. It is in this spirit and with the desire to promote the rock and alternative scene that emblematic places such as L'Usine, Le Rhino and a little later Artamis were born, squats that became over time essential to the Geneva nightlife. If the pressure of the authorities and the real estate bubble have led to the closing of such places - except for L'Usine or L'Îlot 13 which are still resisting as best they can - their spirit can be found here and there in the city. As in the events organized by the Association for the Encouragement of Improvised Music, theAMR, offering a great place to jazz, to the avant-garde and to free musical forms.
Today, it is still in the Jonction, the district of L'Usine, that the heart of Geneva's musical life beats. A somewhat bohemian sector, quite alternative and finally rather trendy with places like La Barje, a cooperative and militant café with an innovative and diversified cultural offer, or the Ethno Bar, a must with its 300m2, its industrial atmosphere, its terrace facing the Rhone and its cutting edge programming. The Chat Noir, a mythical and hyperactive scene (nearly 120 concerts per year), is also highly appreciated on both sides of the border.
Also worth mentioning is the very good Antigel festival which offers music, theater, dance, disco, swimming pool, markets, aperitifs, clubbing and sports in atypical places such as a swimming pool or a church. The opportunity to meet interesting names of the Geneva scene such as Vendredi sur Mer and its disco-pop, Aïsha Devi and her bewitching electronic music, the rappers Di-Meh, Slimka or Makala or the excellent work of the label Bongo Joe (also a very good record shop) which reissues gems and finds fabulous current bands (starting with Altin Gun).
Theater and dance
With some thirty theaters and venues, Geneva offers a dense cultural offering, especially in relation to its population. The whole spectrum of theater is on offer, from the classical repertoire to works by contemporary authors and shows by talented comedians. For lovers of classical theater, nothing beats the Comédie de Genève. A prestigious stage, it is the meeting place for all fine texts - Racine, Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams or Chekhov and many others - and a privileged venue for creation, debate and reflection, whose reputation extends far beyond Geneva. This is an institution that has produced some of the greatest names in Swiss playwriting in its list of successive directors and stage directors: André Talmès, Benno Besson, Claude Stratz and Hervé Loichemol. More contemporary, the Théâtre du Grütli is another of Geneva's great stages, and a recognized space for atypical and audacious creation. Divided into two spaces - the Black Box and the White Box - the Grütli offers shows, readings and performances that challenge the traditional relationship between artists and spectators, as well as the separation between disciplines. In Carouge, too, the Théâtre de Carouge is a source of pride for local residents. Although a small structure, its director Jean Liermier ensures constant innovation in theatrical performances. A success, its reputation extends beyond the country's borders, with no fewer than 50,000 people attending every year. Otherwise, in summer, a must-see is the Théâtre de l'Orangerie and its two adjoining greenhouses. The season may be short, but it's nonetheless intense, generally featuring fine classics and contemporary creations. Every summer, La Bâtie's estival performances take place here.
These beautiful venues and events are all opportunities to encounter the great texts of Swiss dramaturgy. Starting with Robert Pinget, one of the exponents of the Nouveau Roman, whose work was almost entirely published in France by Éditions de Minuit, Dominique Ziegler and his theater riddled with ambiguous personalities, and Manon Pulver and her vitriolic humor.
On the dance front, Geneva is also well endowed with classic institutions such as the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, which for several decades now, under the impetus of its director Philippe Cohen, has been synonymous with choreographic daring (and the critics are full of praise). Here, we can see the work of great Geneva choreographers such as Gilles Jobin, an illustrious name in Swiss dance, or Ioannis Mandafounis, who is very much in the limelight.
Otherwise, since 1986, Geneva's benchmark for the promotion of contemporary dance has undoubtedly been theAssociation pour la danse contemporaine-ADC. To be seen between the Salle des Eaux-Vives and the Pavillon de danse, its future home.
