The Palais Garnier, Paris
The Palais Garnier, also known as the Opéra de Paris or Opéra Garnier, but more
commonly as the Paris Opéra, is a 2,200 seat opera house in Paris, France. A grand landmark designed by Charles Garnier in the Neo-Baroque style, it is
regarded as one of the architectural masterpieces of its time.
Upon its inauguration in 1875, the opera house was officially named the Académie
Nationale de Musique - Théâtre de l'Opéra. It retained this title until 1978 when it was re-named the Théâtre National de
l'Opéra de Paris. After the opera company chose the Opéra Bastille as their
principal theatre upon its completion in 1989, the theatre was re-named as the Palais Garnier, though its more official
name, the Académie Nationale de Musique, is still sprawled above the columns of its front façade. In spite of the change
of names and the Opera company's relocation to the Opéra Bastille, the Palais Garnier is still known by many people
as the Paris Opéra, as have all of the many theatres which have served as the principal venues of the Parisian Opera and
Ballet since its founding.
History
The Grand Escalier in the main hall
King Louis XIV gave a patent to Jean-Baptiste Lully to establish the Académie Royale de Musique in 1672, the great
institution of French theatrical art that was comprised of opera, ballet, and music. Although the opera held its own company upon its founding in 1669, the ballet of that time was
merely an extension of it, having yet to evolve into an independent form of theatrical art. However Louis XIV, one of the great
architects of baroque ballet (the artform which would one day evolve into classical ballet), established the ballet school in 1661 as the Académie Royale de Danse. From
1671 until Lully's death in 1687, the school was under the direction of the great dancing master Pierre Beauchamp, the man who set down the five positions of the
feet, and to whom all dancers are indebted.
In 1713 King Louis XIV made the Opera company a state institution, including a resident company of professional dancers known
as Le Ballet de l'Opéra. From that time until the inauguration of the Palais Garnier in 1875, the Académie
Royale de Musique went through 13 principal theatres, most of which were destroyed by fires. All of these theatres,
regardless of the more "official" names which were bestowed upon them, were all commonly known as the Paris Opéra or
Opéra de Paris.
The Palais Garnier was designed as part of the great Parisian reconstruction of the Second French Empire instigated by Emperor Napoleon
III, who chose the civic planner Baron Haussmann to supervise the reconstruction.
In 1858 the Emperor authorized Haussmann to clear the required 12,000 square metres of land on which to build a second theatre
for the world renowned Parisian Opera and Ballet companies. The project was put out to open competition in 1861, and was won by
the architect Charles Garnier (1825–1898). The foundation stone was laid in
1861, followed by the start of construction in 1862. Legend has it that the Emperor's wife, the Empress Eugénie, asked Garnier during the construction as to whether or not the building would be
built in the Greek or Roman style, to which he replied: "It is in the Napoleon III style Madame!"
The Grand Salle of the Palais Garnier, with a view of the stage's luxuriant faux curtain
The construction of the opera house was plagued by numerous setbacks. One major problem which postponed the laying of the
concrete foundation was the extremely swampy ground under which flowed a subterranean lake, requiring the water to be removed by
eight months of continual pumping. More setbacks came as a result of the disastrous Franco-Prussian War, the subsequent fall of the Second French Empire, and the Paris Commune. During this time construction continued sporadically, and it was even rumoured that
construction of the opera house might be abandoned.
An incentive to complete the Palais Garnier came on October 29, 1873, when the old Paris Opéra, known as the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, was destroyed by a fire which raged
for 27 hours, leaving the whole of Paris in despair (From 1852 until 1855, during the beginnings of the Second French Empire, the
opera house was known as the Théâtre de l'Académie Impérial de Musique. In 1855 the opera house was re-named as the
Théâtre Impérial de l'Opéra. Upon the fall of the Second French Empire, the opera house was re-named simply as the
Théâtre de l´Opéra, a title it retained until its destruction in 1873). The Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique
had been the chief venue of the Parisian Opera and Ballet since 1821, and had seen many of the world's greatest masterworks of
opera and ballet presented on its stage. The Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique is also famous for playing host to
the heyday of the romantic ballet (along with Her Majesty's Theatre in London).
By late 1874 Garnier and his massive workforce completed the Palais Garnier, much to the celebration of Paris. The
Palais Garnier was formally inaugurated on January 15, 1875 with a lavish gala performance. The bill consisted of the third act of Fromental Halévy's 1835 opera La Juive, along with excerpts
from Giacomo Meyerbeer's 1836 opera Les
Huguenots. The ballet company performed a Grand Divertissement staged by
the Paris Opéra's Maître de Ballet en Chef Louis Méranté, which consisted of the celebrated scene Le Jardin Animé from Joseph Mazilier's 1867 revival of his ballet Le Corsaire,
set to the music of Léo Delibes.
In 1896, one of the counter-weights for the chandelier fell, killing one. This, as well as the
underground lake and other elements of the Opera House, inspired Gaston Leroux to write
his classic Gothic novel, The Phantom of
the Opera.
The ceiling area, which surrounds the chandelier, was given a new painting in 1964 by Marc
Chagall. This painting proved controversial, with many people feeling Chagall's work clashed with the style of the rest of
the theatre. (It was also installed directly onto the old mural, destroying it. The combined weight of both canvases has caused
the 19th C. adhesives to fail over time.)
In 1969 the theatre was given new electrical facilities, and in 1978 part of the original Foyer de la Danse was
converted into new rehearsal space for the Ballet company by the architect Jean-Loup Roubert. In
1994 restoration work began on the theatre, which consisted of modernizing the stage machinery and electrical facilities, while
restoring and preserving the opulent décor and strengthening the frame and foundation of the building. The restoration was
completed in 2006.
Architecture and style
Although slightly smaller in scale that its predecessor, the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, the Palais
Garnier consists of 11,000 square metres (118,404 square feet), seats an audience of roughly 2,200 under a central chandelier
which weighs over six tons, and has a huge stage with room to accommodate up to 450 artists. An ornate building, the style is
monumental, opulently decorated with elaborate multicolored marble friezes, columns, and lavish statuary, many of which portray
the deities from Greek mythology. Between the columns of the theatre's front façade,
there are bronze busts of many of the great composers, such as Mozart and
Beethoven. The interior consists of interweaving corridors, stairwells, alcoves and
landings allowing the movement of large amounts of people and space for socializing during intermission. Rich with velvet, gold
leaf, and cherubs and nymphs, the interior is characteristic of Baroque sumptuousness. The Palais Garnier's style is
considered Beaux-Arts because it incorporates classical principles (symmetry in design) and
exterior ornamentation.
Trivia
- The Phantom Theater at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, NV was
custom built to resemble the Palais Garnier.
- Director Sofia Coppola's 2006 bio-pic Marie Antoinette used the Entrée Principale and the Grand Escalier of the
Palais Garnier for the scene of a masked ball. Interestingly, this theatre did not exist during Queen Marie Antoinette's lifetime, as it was not completed until 1875.
- The building was partially replicated in the city-building PC game Sim City 4 as the Opera House, where it can be
located in the city as a reward.
- The opera house is used in the animated film Anastasia, where the
Variation of the Spring Fairy from Prokofiev's Cinderella is accompanying a ballet performance.
- In the Dead or Alive video game series, the character Helena does her performance in the Palais Garnier at the time when the assassin Christie tries to kill Helena with her sniper
rifle, but Helena's mother saw Christie and shielded her daughter. Christie assassinated Helena's mother instead as she was protecting Helena.
- The Hanoi Opera House was built after the model of this opera house.
See also
Image gallery
Lithograph of the Palais Garnier as seen in 1875
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The Palais Garnier as seen circa 1900
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The Inauguration ceremony held at the Grand Escalier, 1875
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Painting of the outside of the Entrée Principale, circa 1900
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Painting of the Foyer de la Danse, circa 1900
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Apollo, Poetry and Music roof sculpture by Aimé Millet
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Apollo, Poetry and Music detail
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Liberty roof sculpture by Charles Gumery
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Lyrical Drama façade sculpture by Jean-Joseph Perraud
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Bronze busts of Beethoven and Mozart on the front façade
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Ornate fireplace of the Foyer de la Danse
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The ceiling by Chagall - detail
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The ceiling by Chagall - detail
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References
- Allison, John (ed.), Great Opera Houses of the World, supplement to Opera Magazine, London 2003
- Beauvert, Thierry, Opera Houses of the World, New York: The Vendome Press, 1995. [ISBN 0-86565-978-8]
- Guest, Ivor Forbes, Ballet of the Second Empire, London: Wesleyan University Press, 1974
- Guest, Ivor Forbes, The Paris Opera Ballet, London: Wesleyan University Press, 2006
- Kleiner, Fred S., Gardner's Art Through The Ages, Belmont: Thomsom Wadsworth, 2006 [ISBN 0-534-63640-3]
- Zeitz, Karyl Lynn, Opera: the Guide to Western Europe's Great Houses, Santa Fe, New Mexico: John Muir Publications,
1991. [ISBN 0-945465-81-5]
External links
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Coordinates:
48°52′19″N, 2°19′54″E
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