Opera (Paris)

Opéra (Académie de musique), former chief opera house of Paris, on the Place de l'Opéra, one of the main crossroads on the right bank of the Seine. Designed by J. L. C. Garnier and also called the Palais Garnier, it was built between 1861 and 1875. One of the largest and most sumptuous theaters in the world, it has a smaller seating capacity than many lesser houses, because its huge stage and foyers and its famous grand staircase take up much of the room. On the polychromed facade of the Opéra is the masterwork of the sculptor J.-B. Carpeaux entitled The Dance. An opulently ornamented neo-baroque style building, the Paris Opéra has been copied, on a reduced scale, by many opera houses throughout the world.

The home of grand opera in the 19th cent., it has retained its musical reputation as one of the world's foremost houses. Its corps de ballet is particularly famous. The Paris Opéra moved to the large, newly constructed Bastille opera house in 1990. The old Opéra building, used mainly for ballet performances for a few years, has been undergoing refurbishment and restoration since the mid-1990s, and both theaters now present opera and ballet.

Bibliography: See M. Kahane, The Paris Opera (1988); S. Pitou, The Paris Opera: An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers (1984) and The Paris Opera (1990); C. C. Mead, Charles Garnier's Paris Opera: Architectural Empathy and the Renaissance of French Classicism (1991).

Paris Opéra. French opera house, its official title being Académie de Musique, Paris. Opened 1671. Controlled by Lully 1672–87. Destroyed by fire 1763, also the next building 1781. In 1794 moved to rue de Richelieu as Théâtre des Arts, then to rue Favart 1821 and to rue Lepeletier 1822. Great period in its history followed, with operas by Meyerbeer, Auber, and Hérold and commissioned works from Rossini (Guillaume Tell), Verdi (Don Carlos and Les Vêpres siciliennes). New th. opened 1875, commonly known as Salle Garnier (after its architect). Accommodates 2,600 people and has large stage (100′ wide and 112′ deep). With opening of Opéra Bastille in 1990, the Paris Opéra is now used mainly for ballet. See also Paris, Opéra-Comique.