Friends & The Opera

When we shared plans for this trip to Paris with Annie and Bob they instantly said, "Let's meet in Paris". The last time we shared plans to be in Paris was in 2000 and they said the same thing. Guess who we met up with today in Paris?

Well here it is 24 years later and we're together again in the City of Light!

After taking the Chunnel from London, we met for coffees and then dinner at the trés bonne Entracte Opera (which means intermission). The location, waiter, and food could not have been better.

Our plan for the night was to experience "The Mysteries of the Palais Garnier (after closing): Discover all the secrets of the Paris Opera in this visit outside opening hours to the general public. In a cozy atmosphere, discover or rediscover a timeless place. Length of visit: 1h15 - (after 5pm closing time)."

Almost 150 years old and classified as a historical monument since 1923, discover a dazzling and unrivaled place, in the very center of Paris: the Palais Garnier. The Palais Garnier is most commonly known as the Paris Opera, and is one of the most important buildings in Paris.

This 2,200 seat opera house was the successor to the Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, which had burned down in 1873. This landmark is a prime example of the Beaux-Arts architecture movement, in part drawing on the 17th century Classical Roman and Baroque style of emphasizing drama and grandeur as well as symmetry.

The Palais Garnier was commissioned during the reconstruction of central Paris by Napoleon III, and the civic planner Baron Haussmann was given the task to clear enough land to build the opera house in 1858. The design, by architect Charles Garnier, was chosen from a competition held in 1861. The building was always designed to be an extravagant experience, with a lush, richly decorated space incorporating excessive elements such as a six-ton central chandelier, bronze busts of composers, and multiple columns, friezes and statues.

Our guide, Thomas, was absolutely incredible. He shared so many facts and stories, I was overwhelmed and wish I had taken notes.

In the tradition of Italian theater, the horseshoe-shaped French auditorium, so-called for the way the seats are arranged according to their category, was designed for the audience to see and to be seen. Its metallic structure, hidden by marble, stucco, velvet and gilding, supports the weight of the 8-ton bronze and crystal chandelier with its 340 lights. The ceiling painted by Marc Chagall in 1964. Thomas told us that a Jewish artist, Chagall, was chosen because of the tragedies of WWII. The ceiling is spectacular.

The large 'box' to the left of the stage was where the king sat for safety reasons. Interestingly, the stage can't even be seen from there! The smaller box, next to it, on the second floor, is where the Phantom of the Opera hid out because no one was allowed to sit next to the king.

Turns out the French don't like the Phantom. As a matter of fact, they don't like musicals. We were surprised, actually, that they prefer MIME. Hysterical. This plaque was placed to appease us non-French.

The Rotunde du Glacier, a fresh and bright rotunda with a ceiling painted by Clairin (1843-1919), features dancing bacchantes and fauna, along with tapestries illustrating different refreshments as well as fishing and hunting. Completed after the opening of the Palais Garnier, this salon evokes the aesthetic of the Belle Époque.

This bust was just sad. Emma Livry (1842-1863) was a French ballerina who was one of the last ballerinas of the Romantic ballet era. She died from complications after burn injuries sustained when her costume caught fire during a rehearsal. Since at that time candlelight was all they had. It changed how the theater functioned after that.