{"id":19938,"date":"2013-12-20T16:55:25","date_gmt":"2013-12-20T15:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=19938"},"modified":"2017-10-20T16:17:36","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T14:17:36","slug":"a-trip-to-paris-visiting-the-french-capitals-most-famous-attractions-part-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/a-trip-to-paris-visiting-the-french-capitals-most-famous-attractions-part-11\/","title":{"rendered":"A Trip to Paris: Visiting the French Capital\u2019s Most Famous Attractions (Part 11)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the last post we learned about the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay and its rich collection of western art. Today we will cross the Seine River to visit the Palais Garnier<\/i><\/b><\/a> (Garnier Palace), home of the Op\u00e9ra de Paris <\/i><\/b><\/a>(Paris Opera) opera company. The Palais Garnier is often referred to simply as the Op\u00e9ra de Paris,<\/i> however since 1989 it has had to share that distinction with another, more modern opera house called l\u2019Op\u00e9ra Bastille<\/i><\/b><\/a> (Bastille Opera House) located at the Place de la Bastille <\/i><\/b>(Bastille Plaza), site of the old prison that ignited the French Revolution in 1789.<\/p>\n

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The Palais Garnier is probably best known as the setting for the novel Le Fant\u00f4me de l\u2019Op\u00e9ra<\/i><\/b> (The Phantom of the Opera) written by Gaston Leroux in 1910. Andrew Lloyd Webber brought the story to life in the 1986 musical of the same name which has not ceased to captivate audiences autour du monde<\/i><\/b> (around the world). You might recall from an earlier post that Notre-Dame cathedral was the setting for Victor Hugo\u2019s 1831 novel Notre-Dame de Paris <\/i>(also known as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame<\/i>), which has also garnered worldwide acclaim and has been adapted to the stage as well as to film. It is clear that Paris has the ability to inspire les \u00e9crivains et les artistes<\/i><\/b> (writers and artists) in a way that few cities can.<\/p>\n

Construction of the Palais Garnier began during the Second Empire sous le r\u00e8gne de Napoleon III<\/i><\/b> (under the reign of Napoleon III). Like the building of le Sacr\u00e9-C\u0153ur de Montmartre, l\u2019Arche de la D\u00e9fense and le Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay, a contest was held to select an architect who could take on the formidable task of building a new opera house for the city of Paris. In June of 1861, Charles Garnier, un jeune architecte avec tr\u00e8s peu d\u2019exp\u00e9rience<\/i><\/b> (a young architect with very little experience), was chosen from among a stable of famed architects including Eug\u00e8ne Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. Work on the opera house commenced in August of that same year. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 brought construction to a temporary halt but building resumed shortly thereafter. On January 5, 1875 president de la R\u00e9publique Marshal Mac-Mahon inaugurated the newly completed theater and word quickly spread throughout the European continent and abroad of Garnier\u2019s achievement. The new Op\u00e9ra de Paris drew praise for its Italian styling and eclecticism courtesy of a bevy of talented artists and sculptors from all over France. The edifice also housed the world\u2019s largest stage in an auditorium that could seat up to 2,156 people.<\/p>\n

The interior of the opera house is nothing short of breath-taking. Le Grand Foyer<\/i><\/b> (the Great Foyer), for example, rivals Versaille\u2019s Gallerie des Glaces <\/i><\/b><\/a>(Hall of Mirrors) in its opulence and ornate styling. Garnier used enamel mosaics to create the beautiful vo\u00fbtes dor\u00e9es<\/i><\/b> (gilded vaults) and hired French painter Paul Baudry to paint the ceiling. It took Baudry no less than ten years to finish the project. People are usually familiar with Michelangelo\u2019s masterful work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel but few are aware of Baudry\u2019s work which, in my mind, is no less impressive. Les Rotondes<\/i><\/b> (the Rotundas), reserved for the Parisian elite, and le Grand Escalier<\/i><\/b> (the Grand Staircase) made of white marble complement the interior but la Salle de Spectacle<\/i><\/b> (the Auditorium) is where the magic happens. If you have a chance to attend an opera, ballet or concert\/recital at the Palais Garnier, don\u2019t miss it.<\/p>\n

If all you want to do is visit the Palais Garnier, tickets are 10\u20ac which gives you free access to most areas. Hours are from 10 am to 5 pm every day. If you wish to purchase tickets to attend an opera, ballet or concert\/recital, the Op\u00e9ra de Paris<\/a>\u00a0website has a calendar with upcoming events you can separate by genre. You can reserve your seats directly on the website. Don\u2019t forget that the Op\u00e9ra Bastille<\/a> offers a wide array of spectacles in a thoroughly modern setting so don\u2019t limit yourself to just the Palais Garnier.<\/p>\n

Join us next week as we embark on la derni\u00e8re \u00e9tape<\/i><\/b> (the last leg) of our journey through Paris by visiting le Cimeti\u00e8re du P\u00e8re-Lachaise<\/i><\/b> (the P\u00e8re-Lachaise Cemetery).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In the last post we learned about the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay and its rich collection of western art. Today we will cross the Seine River to visit the Palais Garnier (Garnier Palace), home of the Op\u00e9ra de Paris (Paris Opera) opera company. The Palais Garnier is often referred to simply as the Op\u00e9ra de Paris, however…<\/p>\n

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