August 20, 2012


LA MADELEINE

After surviving a weekend of extreme heat and humidity, I set off on this Monday to visit another site on my list, the
Opera Garnier.

I took the Metro to within one block and waited in line for about 15 minutes. The day was wonderful, and I truly enjoyed the afternoon, which ended with a visit a short distance away to la Madeleine, one of the most famous monuments in Paris, with its colossal interior.

The columns are higher than any in Greece or Rome. The interior is dark, with light coming in from three skylights in the nave. Originally planned as part of the Place de la Concorde, construction began in 1764; the building was razed, and work again halted by the French Revolution.  In 1806, it was razed for the second time, but in 1814 Louis XVIII confirmed it should be a church and devoted the building to his guillotined brother, Louis XVI.

LE PALAIS GARNIER

 

The Paris Opera was founded by Louise XIV in 1669 and the Palace Garnier the 13th theatre to house it; the Palais was built on the orders of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction (Barron Haussmann). The opera house was put out for competition which was won by Charles Garnier, an unknown 35 year old architect, who had the challenge of building the Opera over a lake which still lies underneath the Opera.  The building work lasted 15 years, and the palace was inaugurated in 1875.  The fountains and pools in the basement are said to have inspired The Phantom of the Opera. A copy of Garnier's bust by sculptor Carpeaux stands in the centre of the foyer, near one of the windows which looks down on avenue de l'Opera toward the Louvre.

The interior is filled with gold leaf, precious stones, frescoes, marble and the great foyer and staircase.  The Grand Staircase is built in marble of various colors; the double stairway leads to the foyers and different levels of the auditorium.  Fashionable society ladies of the past would brush their crinolines as the ascended or descended the staircase.


The huge stage can accommodate up to 450 performers; the highlight of my day was seeing the wonderful false ceiling painted in 1964 by Marc Chagall. The four sections of the ceiling depict different allegories of music.  The building has been compared to a gilded wedding cake.

Chagall False Ceiling

 Most operas now perform at other venues; the Palais Garnier is now home to a school of ballet for young students and many of the presentations at the palace are now ballets. The young artists are depicted in wonderful paintings and drawings in the Museum on the top floor.

I was fortunate to have visited here during a special exhibit which featured many of the costumes worn by artists over the years; it was a fantastic treat. and was something unexpected.

Carmen, 1959

Romeo & Juliet, 1984

The Magic Flute, 1954

   weekend heat wave is not quite finished, and the day was quite warm; but the weather seems unimportant when it is filled with the magic past of a beautiful palais.

For Turandot, les Magnettes de Jacques Duport, 1965