CONLON: The Bastille was conceived to make opera available to more people. We are able to sell operas here that you can’t sell [elsewhere], and many are at 100 percent attendance. The Palais Garnier, the 19th-century opera house that was originally meant to be replaced by the Bastille, is also open and full. This shows that Paris was always a city that could house an international opera company.

We’ve changed the tradition of the Paris Opera. Before, there was a lot of variability: sometimes there was quality, sometimes there was no quality, but there was never quantity. [But] to run an international house like New York, Vienna or London, you have to have a company that is functioning all the time.

We give more performances than almost any other opera company. And we try to keep our artistic level as high as possible. Sure we have bad nights. You can’t stop a tenor from getting sick and canceling at 5 in the afternoon. But we are staying abreast without pandering to stars. We try to get the up-and-coming talents and show them off before others do. And we have been able to present a balanced repertory to speak to all tastes.

Exactly. We are much less conservative than other opera companies. We basically do innovative theater.

There are almost 180 musicians now. That’s enough for two teams. There are nights we are playing one opera here and another in the Garnier.

When any new concert hall is built, the work on the acoustics only starts when it opens. Acoustics grow with the hall. So we started doing tests and came up with a plan that has been executed during summer breaks. We made all sorts of improvements. You can’t see them, but you can hear them.

It’s very much a question of exposure. Too many people are afraid of classical music. The words “music appreciation” are off-putting. If you ask anyone about movies, they don’t have inhibitions to voice their reactions. But if you ask someone how they liked a concert or an opera, the first thing they say is, “Well, you know, I don’t know anything about classical music.” You don’t have to know anything. You just have to come and enjoy it.

As Herbert von Karajan said, “If you are too happy with your results, your standards are too low.” So, no, I’m never satisfied. But I can say we are now functioning at the absolute top. In the old days there were jokes that you never had the same orchestra twice. It takes years of higher functioning before the image catches up with the reality. I think we’ve finally caught up.