A little side history about the Opera

The Garnier Opera is one of the largest older opera venues in the world and is the thirteenth building to house the Paris Opera since the Operas foundation in 1669. It is a monument of the second empire and displays a solid example of Baron Haussmann's urbanism - a vision which completely reshaped Paris during the second half of the 19th century by opening large boulevards through the city. Napoleon III financed the construction project wholeheartedly. He had recently undergone a narrow escape from an assassination attempt as he left the Salle Le Peletier in 1858. The dreadful experience prompted him to want to build a new opera house in a safer location. Key to the project was better escape routes. The building now crowns the Avenue de l'Opéra, a route deliberately kept free of trees to give those passing by an uninterrupted view of the building. The luxuriousness of its design was not only pleasing for the eye, but also held a political purpose in reflecting the prosperity of the times and showing the power and wealth of the Second Empire. A quick look at the architect

Garnier Opera House - Corner Facade

Paris native Jean-Louis-Charles Garnier holds a solid foundation in the world of architecture as the creator behind the Garnier Opera house.

His route to this role took an interesting course and can first be traced back to rue de Médecine, the street where the Petite Ecole de Dessin (the Lower School of Design) is located and where the intent student first started practicing mathematics and drawing.

In 1842 -at the ripe age of seventeen- Garnier enrolled at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts.

While here, Garnier complemented his studies, which he pursued at night, with working at various architects offices - including that of M. Viollet-le-Duc (who renovated the Notre Dame Cathedral at the end of the 19^th century). Garnier's dedication paid off and six years later, he became the recipient of the Grand Prix de Rome.

While in Italy, Garnier studied at the Academy of Rome and kept himself fairly busy - working on detailed measured drawings of buildings such as the Temple of Vesta and the Forum of Trajan. He was there for 5 years, and at the end of his studies, decided to explore the countries of Greece and Turkey as well. While in the city of Athens, he worked out a complete restoration plan for the temple at Aegina. This elaborate plan as well as much of Garnier's earlier drawing can now be admired at the library of the Ecole des Beaux Arts.

When Garnier returned to Paris in 1853, he was a promising but still undiscovered architect. He worked as a surveyor to a few government buildings including that of the fifth and sixth Paris districts, and accepted a few private paying jobs - including one that entailed creating a watercolor drawing of the Hotel de Ville as a gift for Queen Victoria when she passed through the city. He also designed the Casino of Monte Carlo and the Hotel du Cercle de la Librairie.

His career hit full force when he entered a competition held by Baron G. E. Haussmann six years later which called for creating a new opera house for the city. For the next 14 years he would work on this project.

He conceived the opera as a total work of art - a space where architecture, painting, music, sculpture, and dance could intertwine. He designed the building to be 17 stories high and his vision for the outside ornamentation of the venue included busts that honored musicians such as Mozart, Rossini and Beethoven, and sculptures that paid tribute to dance, drama, music, and harmony. Over 90 prominent artists contributed their talents to his decoration program.

Though the opera house was to be Garnier's last project, he stayed active teaching, taking on government jobs, and pouring energy into writing about his established theory of opera design for various publications. He died in 1898. A monument to the architect can now be seen along one exterior facade of the opera house and his creation is now considered a landmark - its design copied on a reduced scale by many opera houses around the world.

"Although described by a contemporary critic as 'looking like an overloaded sideboard', it [the Garnier Opera] is now regarded as one of the masterpieces of the period. Here Garnier triumphed over a cramped and difficult site, handling the carriage-ramps and approach steps, the foyers and staircases, both in section and plan, with confidence and skill. The style is monumental, classically based and opulently expressed, as the times demanded, in an elaborate language of multicolored marbles and lavish statuary. Throughout his life, Garnier was criticized for his excessive use of ornament, as Napoleon and Haussmann are still accused of being inspired by an out-of-date and imperialist showmanship. Such critics forget that every city needs its occasional monuments and occasions of grandeur, and that thanks largely to these three men, Paris remains one of the most beautiful cities in the world."

From John Julius Norwich, Great Architectures of the World

Garnier Opera House - Full Front View

Opera Garnier: the latest restoration of a masterpiece

The Garnier Opera is a monument dedicated to the glory of the Second Empire and Charles Garnier, its chief architect, used great care when picking out the materials needed for the creation. Garnier combed Europe and North Africa for the task and over 10 kinds of marble, limestone from six different quarries, and around 36 different types of stone were used for the outside of the venue.

Such a variety of materials is a genuine challenge when time comes to restoring the luster of the building from the time-old effects of age and pollution. Finding the materials needed for repairs is a journey in itself.

However, from the building completion in 1875 until the present day, several restoration programs have not been intimidated by the task, and these efforts have enabled the 130-year old theater to remain functional without lessening its appeal as a monument.

A huge undertaking took place only a few years ago in 1999, when France 's chief architect for historical monuments, Alain-Charles Perrot, decided to take the matter under his wing. Perrot's role was to supervise 25 companies specifically contracted for the task - from cleaners, to exterior painters, to sculpting masters.

First on the list was cleaning the main facade, and repairing eroded and missing stone from the outside of the building. As often as possible, stones were used from the same quarry that the architect used, but in instances that these were shut down, stones with very similar appearance were used. The gilded mosaics, which line the background of some of the panels, were also touched upon, with faithful copies made in Italy replacing the originals.

Lasers were used to pulverize the dirt off sculptures, and new patina was placed on the copper, iron, and bronze statues in front of the building - including the famous Dance sculpture by Carpeaux.

One of the more challenging sub-projects included removing two groups of 23-foot high bronze statues from the top of the Opera house and replacing their original iron frameworks, which had corroded over time, with stainless steel structures.

The sides of the building were also seen too - the Chauvire dome on the east side of the Opera house and the gutters of the Lifar dome were repaired, as well as the main loggia and the Grand Foyer in 2001. Many other factions of the building were touched up as well, including doorways, streetlights, column, etc. The $45 million project is set to continue until around 2007.

Opera Garnier: Getting tickets

When the Opera Bastille opened in Paris in 1989, the Garnier Opera became intended solely for ballet shows. The majority of opera performance are still held at the newer venue but due to demand, several performances a year are also now held in the older venue as well. Demands are high for tickets to these performances but there are many ways to go about getting a pair.

If you are already in Paris, you can go directly to the box office on the right side of the Garnier Opera house: the office operates from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. except on Sundays and on January 1^st and May 1^st. You can get there by taking the metro and getting off at the Opera station.

If you can't make it to the box office, tickets can also be ordered by phone. From overseas the number is +33 (1) 44 73 13 99. Another route is to order tickets online at the theater website (www.opera-de-paris.fr). If the order is placed more than two weeks before the performance, the tickets will automatically be mailed to you. Be sure however to keep your order number as well, because if you happen to not receive your tickets before your departure, you will need this number when contacting the box office.

Lastly, tickets can be ordered by mail, and forms are accepted four months prior to each performance. The mailing address to the Opera house is: Opéra National de Paris, Relations avec le Public, 120, Rue de Lyon, 75567 Paris, Cedex 12, France.

For updates on scheduled performances passing through the Garnier Opera, check out the theater's official website: www.opera-de-paris.fr which is published in both French and English.

---
Zoie Clift is a talented contributor to Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News.com. Should you like her to write professionally for you, please contact her at .