Romanian Opera House and National Theatre Timisoara

The building of the Palace of Culture (which also hosts the Romanian Opera House) started in 1871, according to the designs of Viennese architects Helmer and Fellner (designers of many theatre halls in Central Europe, namely Budapest, Vienna, Odessa). The work was finished in 1875. In its initial shape, the building hosted a performance hall located in the centre (today it is the performance hall of the National Theatre and the Romanian Opera House, including the stage, warehouses, auxiliary buildings, dressing rooms), an inn and symetrically, time-specific businesses all around. Two big fires damaged the building. The first one took place in 1880; rebuilding lasted until 1882, with the building original shape preserved entirely in its "Renaissance" style. After the second fire in 1920, the side wings of the building were the only ones kept intact. The rebuilding was made according to the designs of architect Duiliu Marcu. The original style was preserved for the side faades only. The main faade and the performance hall took on a neobyzantine style, typical for the Romanian architecture of the time. (Duiliu Marcu also applied the architectural pattern of the theatre faade in Timisoara to the Romanian stand of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1837). Unusual that this building harmoniously operates in four institutions of art - unique in the world: Romanian Opera, National Theatre "Mihai Eminescu" German State Theatre and Hungarian Theatre "Csiky Gergely".

Need keen sense of Timisoara and their love for the theater lyric were fulfilled to some extent the Romanian Opera in Cluj. Established in 1920 it moved to Timisoara often that between 1940 and 1945 on disposal of Transylvania by the Vienna Award in the refuge to conduct business in the capital of Banat, making Opera in Cluj - Timisoara, whose director was appointed composer Sabin Dragoi.

After leaving Opera in Cluj in 1945 could not imagine one without opera Timisoara. Timisoara love and interest for this kind can be assessed by frequent posters and performances by affluent audience. So in 1920

hefounded the Lyric Theater of Operetta, led by Maximilian and Leonard Prince operetta, which for a time supplemented the void left by the departure of the Romanian Opera in Cluj. We can say that Lyric Operetta Theatre was as an intermezzo between Romanian Opera in Cluj Timisoara and this time the Romanian Opera in Timisoara, whose founding act will be the decree signed by King Michael I on 30 March 1946. Management will be entrusted to newly created institution known singer Aca Barbu who succeeded in a short time with skill and devotion to form a valuable team of musicians. The first board of directors of the National Opera of Timisoara personalities of that time included: Aca Barbu - director and artistic director, Traian Nicolau - artistic director, Mihai Bota - Managing Director, George Marianciu - musical education secretary, George Paul, Traian Mihailescu Hermann Klee, Constantin Daminescu - conductors, Mercedes Pevelic - ballet master, and Eugen Mihai Ionica Gropsianu - directors. Compartment structure was as follows: 45 singers, 46 musicians, 60 singers, 19 dancers, 30 technical personnel to the scene, eight accompanists and 1 prompter. Now the newly founded Opera in Timisoara, Cluj part of Opera singers have wanted to stay on for the whole gallery with their experience enthusiastic core artistic team: filomele Piteiu Georgescu, Fenia Nicolau, Traian Nicolau, Gogu Vasilescu, Adriana Ciuciu, Flavia Domsa, Illa Cazacu. The inaugural show of the National Opera of Timisoara took place on 27 April 1947 with the opera "Aida" by G. Verdi. It was an unforgettable show of high artistic, a triumph of Romanian performing arts periodicals reported as such weather. On stage, in front of the public and the high nurses (prime minister when Dr. Petru Groza), and through megaphones outside the Opera Square, Aca director of Brabu the thousands of auditors, the following words:

"This is our dream come true! Gates open this facility lyrical art to spread like a beacon light edge art and music - cultural stronghold in a province so twinned with music and poetry. In the Banat, which by tradition is entitled to have his own work here in the country where for centuries edge of Doina Romanian tender melodies resound ... "