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Palais Garnier

Palais Garnier
Palais Garnier

Former names

Acadmie Nationale de Musique - Thtre de l'Opra


(1875-1978),
Thtre National de l'Opra de Paris (1978-1989)

Alternative names

Opra de Paris,
L'Opra Garnier,
Paris Opra
General information

Type

Opera house

Architectural style

Beaux-Arts

Location

Place de l'Opra, Paris, France, Europe

Coordinates

485219N 21954E

Construction started 1862


Height

[1]

73.6metres (241ft)

Technical details
Other dimensions

172metres (564ft) long


[1]
125metres (410ft) wide
Design and construction

Architect

Charles Garnier

The Palais Garnier, known also as the Opra de Paris or Opra Garnier, but more commonly as the Paris Opra,
is a 1,600-seat opera house on the Place de l'Opra in Paris, France, which was the primary home of the Paris Opera
from 1875 until 1989. A grand building designed by Charles Garnier in the Neo-Baroque (or "Baroque Revival")
style (it is also said to be of the related Second Empire style), it is regarded as one of the architectural masterpieces
of its time.
The building is located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris and is served by the metro station Opra and bus 21, 22,
27, 29, 42, 53, 66, 68, 81, 95.
Upon its inauguration during 1875, the opera house was named officially the Acadmie Nationale de Musique Thtre de l'Opra. It retained this title until 1978 when it was re-named the Thtre National de l'Opra de Paris.
After the opera company chose the Opra Bastille as their principal theatre upon its completion during 1989, the

Palais Garnier
theatre was re-named as the Palais Garnier, though Acadmie Nationale de Musique is still sprawled above the
columns of its front faade. In spite of the change of names and the Opera company's relocation to the Opra
Bastille, the Palais Garnier is still known by many people as the Paris Opra, as have all of the several theatres
which have served as the principal venues of the Parisian Opera and Ballet since its initiation.

History
The Palais Garnier was designed as part of the great reconstruction of Paris during the Second Empire initiated by
Emperor Napoleon III, who chose Baron Haussmann to supervise the reconstruction. During 1858 the Emperor
authorized Haussmann to clear the required 12000square metres (1.2ha) of land on which to build a second theatre
for the world-renowned Parisian Opera and Ballet companies. The project was the subject of architectural design
competition during 1861, and was won by the architect Charles Garnier (18251898). The foundation stone was laid
during 1861, with the start of construction during 1862. Legend is that the Emperor's wife, the Empress Eugnie,
asked Garnier during the construction whether the building would be built in the Greek or Roman style, to which he
replied: "It is in the Napoleon III style, Madame!"

Setbacks
The construction of the opera house was plagued by numerous setbacks. One major problem which postponed the
laying of the concrete foundation was the 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 end 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.

Fire
On 29 October 1873, an incentive to complete the Palais Garnier came when the previous theatre of the Paris Opra,
known as the Salle Le Peletier, was destroyed by a fire which raged for 27 hours. The Salle Le Peletier had been the
chief venue of the Paris Opera and Ballet since 1821. The Salle Le Peletier is also famous for housing the heyday of
the romantic ballet (along with Her Majesty's Theatre in London).

Completion
During late 1874 Garnier and his massive workforce completed the Palais Garnier. The Palais Garnier was
inaugurated formally on January 15, 1875 with a lavish gala performance. The ball consisted of the third act of
Fromental Halvy'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 Opra's Matre de Ballet en
Chef Louis Mrant, which consisted of the celebrated scene Le Jardin Anim from Joseph Mazilier's 1867 revival of
his ballet Le Corsaire, set to the music of Lo Delibes.

Palais Garnier

Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera


During 1896, the falling of one of the counterweights
for the grand chandelier resulted in the death of one
person. This incident, as well as the underground lake,
cellars, along with the other elements of the Opera
House even the building itself were the inspirations of
Gaston Leroux for his classic 1910 Gothic novel, The
Phantom of the Opera.

Recent history
During 1969, the theatre was given new electrical
facilities, and during 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.
During 1994, restoration work began on the theatre,
which consisted of modernizing the stage machinery
and electrical facilities, while restoring and preserving
the opulent dcor, as well as strengthening the frame
and foundation of the building. This restoration was
completed during 2007.

The Opra Garnier, a mixture of Neo-Renaissance and


Neo-Baroque architecture.

The Grand Staircase

Palais Garnier

Architecture and style


Although slightly smaller in scale than its predecessor,
the Thtre de l'Acadmie Royale de Musique, the
Palais Garnier is a building of exceptional opulence. It
seats an audience of about 2,200 under a central
chandelier which weighs more than six tons, and has a
huge stage with room to accommodate as many as 450
artists. The style is monumental and considered
typically Beaux-Arts, with use of axial symmetry in
plan, and its exterior ornamentation.
The Palais is decorated opulently with elaborate
multicolored marble friezes, columns, and lavish
The Grand Foyer
statuary, many of which portray deities of Greek
mythology. Between the columns of the theatre's front faade, there are bronze busts of many of the great composers,
Mozart, Rossini, Daniel Auber, Beethoven, Meyerbeer, Fromental Halvy, Spontini, and Philippe Quinault.
The central roof group, Apollo, Poetry, and Music, was the work of Aim Millet. The two gilded figural groups
Harmony and Poetry were both designed by Charles Gumery, and the two smaller bronze Pegasus figures at either
end of the gable are from Eugne-Louis Lequesne. The facade incorporates major multifigure groups sculpted by
Franois Jouffroy (Harmony), Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugne Guillaume (Instrumental Music), Jean-Baptiste
Carpeaux (The Dance, criticized for indecency), Jean-Joseph Perraud (Lyrical Drama), and other work by Gumery,
Alexandre Falguire and others.
The interior consists of interweaving corridors, stairwells, alcoves and landings allowing the movement of large
numbers of people and space for socializing during intermission. Rich with velvet, gold leaf, and cherubim and
nymphs, the interior is characteristic of Baroque sumptuousness.
The ceiling area, which surrounds the chandelier, was given a new painting during 1964 by Marc Chagall. This
painting was controversial, with many people feeling Chagall's work clashed with the style of the rest of the theater.

Influence abroad
The building became one of the most inspirational architectural prototypes for
the next thirty years.
Several buildings in Poland were based on the design of the Palais Garnier,
and include the Juliusz Sowacki Theatre in Krakw, built during 1893, The
Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Lviv, built between 1897 and 1900 and
also the Warsaw Philharmony edifice in Warsaw, built between 1900 and
1901.
In Ukrainia, the influence of the Palais Garnier can be seen at the National
Opera House of Ukraine edifice in Kiev, built during 1901.
The Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington,
D.C. is modelled after Palais Garnier, most notably the facade and Great Hall.

The Warsaw Philharmony edifice about


1901. The building was destroyed
completely in a German air raid on
Warsaw during 1939 and it was rebuilt
after the war in the socialist realism
[2]
style

The Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro (1909) was also modeled after Palais Garnier, particularly and Great Hall
and stairs.
The Amazon Theatre in Manaus (Brazil) built from 1884 to 1896. The overview is very similar, though the
decoration is more simple.

Palais Garnier

The Hanoi Opera House in Vietnam is considered to be a typical French colonial architectural monument in Vietnam
and is also a small-scale replica of the Palais Garnier. The Saigon Opera House is a smaller counterpart.

Side view of the Juliusz Slowacki


theater

Warsaw Philharmony
circa 1900

Maquette of the Lviv


Theatre

National Opera House


of Ukraine

Thomas Jefferson Building

The Amazonas theater in


Manaus, Brazil

Municipal theater of Rio de


Janeiro

Municipal Theater of So
Paulo

The Palais Garnier as seen circa


1900

The
Inauguration
ceremony held
at the Grand
Escalier, 1875

Apollo, Poetry and Music roof


sculpture by Aim Millet

Apollo, Poetry
and Music;
Apollo's lyre
detail

Liberty roof sculpture by


Charles Gumery

Lyrical
Drama
faade
sculpture by
Jean-Joseph
Perraud

The Dance by
Jean-Baptiste
Carpeaux

Bronze busts of Beethoven and


Mozart on the front faade

Image gallery

Palais Garnier

The Grand Foyer

Detail from
the front

Marc Chagall's ceiling,


repainted in a modern style
and which is very different
from the colour scheme of the
rest of the building. At the
center is the grand chandelier.

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 9780865659773.
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.

Notes
[1] A View On Cities (2009). Opra de Paris Garnier. Retrieved on 2009-08-09 from http:/ / www. aviewoncities. com/ paris/ operagarnier. htm.
[2] (Polish) "Filharmonia Warszawska" (http:/ / www. warszawa1939. pl/ index. php?r1=jasna_5& r3=0). www.warszawa1939.pl. . Retrieved
2008-02-21.

External links
Official website (http://www.operadeparis.fr/cns11/live/onp/site/index.php?&lang=en) (in English)
History of architecture (http://www.unav.es/ha/007-TEAT/operas-paris.htm) (in Spanish)
The Palais Garnier (http://paris1900.lartnouveau.com/paris09/l_opera_actuel.htm) current photographs and of
the years 1900.
Unused architectural drawings for the Opra de Paris by Charles Rohault de Fleury (http://cca.qc.ca/en/
collection/821-charles-rohault-de-fleury-and-the-opera-de-paris)

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors


Palais Garnier Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=430640453 Contributors: Abberley2, Acalamari, Acvb, Adam sk, Alamadte, AlanBarnet, Alsandro, Author, AxelBoldt, Baa,
Being blunt, Beivushtang, Bkonrad, Blanckien, Blieusong, Bobanni, Borgx, Breakyunit, Cacophony, CalJW, Caltas, Carptrash, Caspian blue, Cheerbaby293, Cnbrb, CommonsDelinker, Crabula,
CrownJewell, CryptoDerk, Daderot, DaiFh, Darwinius, Deror avi, Drat, Elekhh, Ensiform, Erri4a, Ev, EvilSuggestions, Fluri, FunkyCanute, Funnyhat, Geodyde, George The Dragon, Giano,
Gilliam, Gimboid13, Gonioul, Haunti, Howcheng, Iamunknown, Ilovedannyp, Insanephantom, Isis, JCGDIMAIWAT, JaGa, James086, Jan Arkesteijn, Javitomad, Jgsodre, JillandJack,
Juliancolton, JulienD3, KTo288, Kendrick7, KudukGirl, Kuyku, LBehounek, Lambiam, Lazulilasher, LcawteHuggle, Lemon-s, Lightmouse, LilHelpa, Lockley, Look2See1, Luna Santin,
Madder, Malachirality, Mamyles, Martim33, Michael Hardy, Mike hayes, Montrealais, Mrlopez2681, Neddyseagoon, Neofelis Nebulosa, Neutrality, Nicenicehomeslice, Niro5, No substitute for
you, Nunh-huh, Olivier, Oxymoron83, Para, Paradiso, Paris 16, Patstuart, Pearle, Perohanych, Philip Trueman, Pieter Kuiper, Postlebury, Pufacz, Qloque, Quadell, Raptornet, Rettetast, Robert K
S, Robert.Allen, Robertgreer, ST47, Saxophobia, Scottstensland, Seduisant, Sesu Prime, Sgt Pinback, SimonP, Sojournerjake, Someone else, Sovxx, Swimdude315, Synchronism, Tangent747,
Tangopaso, Tarquin, TeslaMaster, The Fiddly Leprechaun, Thephotoplayer, Tide rolls, Tommy2010, Tschuman01, Vdegroot, Vegaswikian, Versus22, Viajero, Viva-Verdi, Warofdreams,
WhisperToMe, Whjayg, Wikianon, WildCowboy, Xcanbiet, Yluijf, Zack Holly Venturi, Zaledin, Zanimum, 201 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors


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Image:Paris Opera -circa 1900.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Paris_Opera_-circa_1900.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Mrlopez2681
File:Paris - Inaugurition de l'Opra 1875.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Paris_-_Inaugurition_de_l'Opra_1875.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Cchene,
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Image:PhotoB_062.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:PhotoB_062.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: user:beivushtang
Image:Apollon opera Garnier.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Apollon_opera_Garnier.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Jastrow
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Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors: Stianbh
Image:Lyrical drama Perraud.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Lyrical_drama_Perraud.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Jean-Joseph Perraud (French,
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Image:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux La Danse.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Jean-Baptiste_Carpeaux_La_Danse.jpg License: Creative Commons
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Image:PhotoB_064.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:PhotoB_064.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: user:beivushtang
Image:Palais garnier def.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Palais_garnier_def.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0 Contributors:
DaiFh
Image:PG142.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:PG142.jpg License: unknown Contributors: user:deror_avi

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