The history of Paris is interesting and many-sided, huge number of every possible event which for almost any other city of the world would suffice on one million years has intertwined in it. In the materials we have told much about the Parisian sights symbolizing this or that period of history of the city and France as a whole. Today we would like to pay attention to such important phenomenon for Paris as opera and to its main modern symbol to the theatre “Opéra Garnier”. We’ll give it one after another.

According to numerous researchers of art history opera as a musical genre, has appeared in 1600th when the composer from an Italian Florence Jacopo Peri showed to the world opera “Euridice”, dedicated to the wedding of the French monarch Louis XIV and the well-known Maria Medici. And during this king opera got the status of an independent art form.

As memoirs contemporaries of this king testify, he was the aficionado of everything that concerned music he himself being quite a good dancer, took active part in ballet performances. Music accompanied Louis practically everywhere during his reign. And in royal residence musical balls were organized almost each day.

Year of 1669 was marked by opera and ballet inclusion in the French musical academy, and such concepts as “power” and “opera” became henceforth and inseparable at all. Musicians not only participated in regular representations, but also (strangely enough it can sound) have been got quite often mixed up in various political intrigues which always took place in the royal environment. And the first-ever opera and ballet theatre has been created at the French court yard in Versailles in boxes of which serious people were engaged in the decision of the important state problems.

But the Parisian opera, despite of such an exclusive position, had one big problem. For more than two centuries of the existence in view of the different reasons it has changed some tens of concert halls. Thus all of them were far from conformity to the status of the most opera theatre.

And only with Napoleon’s III – who have solved radically to change appearance of all Paris – coming to power, the opera had a chance to receive a due theatre.

The responsible for city building has been appointed Baron Haussmann who is well-known nowadays; he did not recognize any rules and made everything he considered necessary in Paris. The city was transformed beyond recognition for some decades. For good or for bad – we are not to judge, we will notice only that fact that now the French capital is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities of the world.

However, we will return to the opera. Among hundreds applicants for the role of the architect of the Parisian opera the young man by the name of Charles Garnier on whom the choice of baron Haussmann has fallen has appeared the most successful. Many historians believe that the reason for this was the precise understanding of the architect of trends of that time when everyone dreamt of “glamour”, “luxury” and “shine”.

In theatre premises styles of various epochs were guessed; owing to that uniformity, cleanliness and unity of lines was not observed here absolutely, but it did not affect the general magnificence of the whole image. Later the art experts named the given mixture by big enough words – the style of the Second Empire.

The opening of “Grand Opéra Garnier” has taken place in 1875 when neither Napoleon nor baron Haussmann were in live however despite of everything their child could be born. In that significant day the Parisian Opera (here we speak about it as about an independent theatre) has received the first extremely magnificent house which remains it till today.

We are not going to describe the internal magnificence which homes “Grand Opéra Garnier”, we simply advise you to visit this place personally and to receive unique impressions.

The well-known theatre is to be found at the address: Place de l’Opera

8 rue Scribe Paris 75009.

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