This is it. . .
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| Opéra Garnier, Paris, France - by DG Hudson |
Opéra Garnier
This theatre is also called the Opéra de Paris or simply the Opéra. It was the primary home of the Paris Opera and the Paris Opera Ballet until 1989, when a new 2,700-seat house, the Opéra Bastille, with elaborate facilities for set and production changes, opened at the Place de la Bastille. Opera Garnier is now used mainly for ballet.
I learned too late about the Opera Garnier tours from a fellow traveler, so my photos are of the building exterior only. I'm not sure if they permit photography inside the Opera. It's another central location to plan your walks from, as the Hop-On Hop Off Bus and other tour buses frequent this area.
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| Opera Garnier Roof Detail with Gilt - by DG Hudson |
The Palais Garnier / Opera Garnier is probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris. This is at least partly due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux's 1911 novel, The Phantom of the Opera, and the novel's more recent adaptations. Among the buildings constructed in Paris during the Second Empire, the Opera Garnier was the most expensive, and the only one considered a masterpiece.
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| Composers, Musicians decorate the Opera Garnier by DG Hudson |
Gilding seems appropriate on such a grand building used for the performing arts. On a sunny day, this building shines golden.
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Have you seen the Phantom of the Opera? The Opera Garnier? Please share in the comments. Or, do you prefer the movies to live theatre?
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References:
http://www.operadeparis.fr/en/L_Opera/Palais_Garnier/PalaisGarnier.php
Home page - Opera Garnier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Garnier Palais Garnier
