Description of the attraction
The Grand Opera - this is how the Paris Opera is called rather by inertia. Now it bears the name of its creator, architect Charles Garnier (Opera Garnier). But the merit of the appearance of the magnificent palace of arts belongs to a large extent to the initiator of the project, Emperor Napoleon III, and to the reformer of Paris, Baron Haussmann, who successfully entered the building into a major traffic intersection.
Construction began in 1860 and faced enormous difficulties. The first of these was the underground river under the foundation. But it was not only nature that hindered construction. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian war broke out, Napoleon III was taken prisoner by Prussia, the empire fell, the Prussians entered Paris, and the Commune was proclaimed. The unfinished building became a military warehouse; an aeronautical station was located on its roof.
However, in 1875, the theater, dubbed the National Academy of Music, opened. Contemporaries were amazed at the luxury of the building, which became the standard of eclectic architecture (Boz-ar style). The huge foyers were made in the style of the ceremonial galleries of old castles. The red and gold auditorium, reminiscent of a horseshoe, was lit by a huge crystal chandelier. The main staircase, trimmed with a stone of rare beauty, has become a favorite place for a fashion show for a select audience.
For its time, the theater was a technologically advanced structure. Special batteries supplied electricity to its mechanisms, and a hydraulic system provided water performances. The painting and modeling were done by the best painters and sculptors in France. In 1964, the ceiling of the auditorium was re-painted by Marc Chagall.
The Grand Opera has hosted outstanding opera premieres: Wilhelm Tell by Rossini, Don Carlos by Verdi, The Favorite by Donizetti. Caruso, Chaliapin, Til sang here, and at the beginning of the 20th century there were performances by Diaghilev's entreprise.
Opera Garnier is the thirteenth opera in Paris. For a long time it was called simply Parisian, but in 1989, after the opening of the Opera Bastille, the theater received its current name. Today both temples of art are part of the public-commercial enterprise Opera national de Paris.
