The inauguration took place on 1875 ad was the consecration of Baron Hausmann’s great urban transformation project.
These colorful expressionist paintings depict the works of various composers in the center are representations of Gluck ( Orpheus and Eurydice), Beethoven ( Fidelio), Bizet ( Carmen), and an unidentified work by Verdi.Designed by the architect, Charles Garnier, the construction of the Opera began in 1860. Of particular note here are the chandelier (no doubt not the same one described in The Phantom of the Opera, but possibly just as spectacular) and, surrounding it, the ceiling panels painted by Chagall in 1962. From here you have access to the First Loge, one level up, for a chance to step out into the magnificent auditorium, ringed by rows of gilded balconies and plush red velvet seats. On this level you’ll also get to wander through the Gallery of the Orchestra and the Grand Vestibule.Ĭontinuing up to the Orchestra level, you’ll find the Exhibition Hall of the Opera Library-Museum and perhaps even a temporary exposition. Inspired by the Grand Theatre in Bordeaux, Garnier’s extraordinary stairway features white Italian marble accented with fluorine, onyx and jasper, and is adorned with 30 marble columns, dramatic lighting, and a frescoed ceiling. This ‘Grand Staircase…, a monument within the monument’ is the opera’s crown jewel.
…and wonder at ‘ le Grand Escalier de Charles Garnier, un monument dans le monument‘. ~ Charles Garnier, ‘Le Nouvel Opéra de Paris’, 1878 Beginning at ground level, in the Rotonde des Abonnés (named for opera patrons with yearly subscriptions), continue on to the Bassin de la Pythie, in the alcove below the stairs, to see a bronze statue of Pythia, Oracle of Delphi (1870) by Swiss sculptor, Duchesse Adèle d’Affry.įrom here head upstairs to the mezzanine… ‘First allow me to observe that the grand staircase met with almost unanimous approval, even though it detracts somewhat from the monument as a whole, which seems condensed into this one point: the Opera is the staircase…’ The interior of the ‘Opera Garnier’ is stunning and each level of your tour seems more opulent than the last. Though open to the public for tours, Palais Garnier still hosts performances staged by the Opera National de Paris. Chosen as the setting for Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera first published in 1909, this palace to music which sits above an underground lake, was considered to be one of the ‘most grandiose Italian-style theatres’ in the world. Commissioned by Napoleon III and designed by architect Charles Garnier, the magnificent opera house was inaugurated in 1875. Palais Garnier is one of the ‘must see’ historical attractions in Paris and it is, as its name suggests, palatial.
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