La Seine Musicale: The Incredible Paris Music Venue You’ve Never Heard of

Technically the music and performing arts center called La Seine Musicale isn’t in Paris but in Boulogne, just outside the capital. However, the site is on a metro line (Line 9), which is the Parisians’ definition of whether a locale qualifies as “Paris”. The venue, as I discovered, can be even more easily accessed: Just take metro Line 1 or RER A to La Défense, then follow the signs to the T2 tram. The platform is at the station, there’s typically a five-minute wait for the tram, get off a handful of stops later and the Seine Musicale is a mere three-minute walk away. I can be very impatient when it comes to transport yet even I was shocked at how fast and easy it was to get there.

It’s absurd that such an enormous (and marvelous) venue, with such interesting programs, can qualify for expressions like “best kept secret” but when I mentioned it to Parisian friends after watching Abel Gance’s masterpiece Napoleon (7 hours over 2 days, four intermissions), I was surprised that they had only a vague idea of the place.

La Seine Musicale is located more precisely on the Île Seguin, an island in the Seine, hence the name. (It’s also a play on scène, which means stage) Bridges and walkways connect it to the “mainland”, so it doesn’t really qualify as an island in my book. The area is bucolic and green and has a storied history. At one time it was the site of the Renault car factory. A landmark strike took place there in 1936 which shook the French establishment, followed by similar events in 1947 and 1968. More recently there was a plan by billionaire François Pinault to house his art collection in a museum to be built on the site. Acrimonious disputes with local authorities led to his abandoning the idea.

The complex was designed by two architects, the Japanese Shigeru Ban (winner of the Pritzker Prize) and the Frenchman Jean de Gastines, under the supervision of Jean Nouvel, the great architect and “chief urbanist” of the island. Conceived in 2009, it opened in April 2017. It is huge and curvy, with a look that is unabashedly late-modernist/post-mo, but with a vibe that’s more Buckminster Fuller than Frank Gehry. The building is impressive but not intimidating, uplifting without being feel-good mush.

The site is dedicated mostly to music, but isn’t limited to concerts. My first experience there was an exhibit about Maria Callas. The impeccably curated and beautifully-lit exhibit featured videos, objects and photos of the opera diva in numerous galleries. Along these spaces was a capacious concourse that was bright and airy, with easily accessible amenities.

When Bob Dylan performed there before the pandemic I got a taste of the main hall’s superb acoustics and public-friendly seating. There didn’t seem to be any bad seats in the auditorium. As it happens, Mr. Bob is returning there this October (I plan to be there). Aside from the hefty ticket prices, the Seine Musicale will be applying one of Dylan’s recent requirements: no mobile phones. Phones are to be deposited in a magnetically-locked pouch which the public keeps with them, and then has unlocked after the concert.

A different sort of production took place there more recently: the showing of Napoléon Vu Par Abel Gance. It was projected before an audience of 6000 persons. The 1927 film is silent in terms of dialogue but was accompanied by a full orchestra. (The orchestral soundtrack has been recorded for future showings, such as a recent one at the French Cinémathèque, and perhaps DVD.) During the intermissions I not only wandered the concourse to take advantage of the readily available toilet facilities and refreshment stands, but made my way to a large elevated esplanade, where many congregated to eat, drink, chat and to check out the panoramic vista.

In addition to the main Grande Seine auditorium, the Seine Musicale also contains a smaller space seating 1,150, the Patrick Devedjian Auditorium. There are also a distinctive geodesic-type dome, outdoor gardens, as well as rooms for seminars and music rehearsals. The center also features numerous bars and restaurants. I was most impressed with the Seguin Sound, an large outdoor bar-restaurant situated on the Ile Seguin esplanade, underneath the center’s huge display board. On a summer night it’s teeming with cheery patrons. One of the evenings of the Napoleon screening there was also a Euro Cup soccer match and the crowd was more boisterous, though still bon enfant.

Apart from Dylan’s two concert dates, the 2024-25 season will include an installation inspired by Matthieu Kassovitz’s groundbreaking film La Haine, a screening with live orchestral music of Amadeus, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Mozart’s Requiem, choreographer Bintou Dembélé’s acclaimed version of Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes… and much, much more.

For detailed events schedule, reservations and other information go to www.la seindmusicale.com.

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