Hotel week end paris opera

Paris Opera Commentary

"Although described by a contemporary critic as 'looking like an overloaded sideboard', it (the Paris Opera House) 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 multicoloured marbles and lavish statuary. Throughout his life, Garnier was criticized for his excessive use of ornament, as Napoleon and Haussman are still accused of being inspired by an out-of-date and imperialist showmanship expressed in a language already debased. 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."

A Bit of History

Built between 1862-1875, its architect was Charles Garnier. He had been picked from among 171 contestants, and was relatively unknown although he had won the Rome prize in 1848. He was only 35 when awarded with the design of the new opera house. The origins of the idea for a new opera house can be traced back as far as forty years previous to 1820. When construction was finally started, it was just as quickly suspended after the discovery of an underground lake and spring. Although this problem was overcome, the lake persists and lies beneath the cellars of the building.

A large building, it has a total area of 11,000 square metres (118,404 square feet) and a vast stage with room for up to 450 artists. The auditorium itself comprises roughly half of the total space, most of the rest being used to house necessary logistical support so that the stage demands of any opera can be met and even surpassed. This can include live horses running on a rotating stage. The opera seats only 2,200.

Legend has it that the Empress Eugénie asked Garnier whether the building was to be in Greek or Roman style to which he replied ``It is in the Napoléon III style Madame !'' It remains an ornate building richly decorated with friezes, columns, and winged figures among other statues and embellishments.

This richness continues inside with velvet, gold leaf, and nymphs and cherubs. The auditorium's central chandelier weighs over six tons, and its ceiling was painted in 1964 by Chagall.

Tuileries and Opera

This is the area around the Louvre (the National Art Museum in Paris, France), which is worth exploring. The famous rue du Rivoli runs to the left of the Louvre, alongside the Tuileries gardens. If you walk under the Rivoli arcade and turn left on rue de Castillione , you will come to Place Vendome where the Ritz Hotel is along with the finest jewelry shops like Cartier . Up the street from place Vendome to place de l'Opera in the Opera Quarter is the renowned old fashioned Café de la Paix .

Tuileries

Louvre - What can be said? You must at least see the Mona Lisa for yourself.

Tuileries Gardens - Lovely gardens adjacent to Louvre , where mothers bring their children to play, particularly at the great fountain, where little boats are set afloat by impeccably dressed children.

L'Orangerie in the Tuileries gardens is a gem of a museum not to be missed. It contains Monet's Waterlily Series , which used to be housed in the Jeu de Paume , 24 Renoirs, 24 Soutines, 14 Cezannes, and several by Picasso, Matisse, Rousseau, and Sisley.

Rue de Rivoli - This long and beautiful arcade with shops was built in the early 18th century. The famous Angelina's is located here and has the best hot chocolate in Paris. Also, if you are looking for English guidebooks, W. H. Smith has a huge selection of books and a luncheon room upstairs.

Place Vendôme - This square is very elegant and quiet, surrounded by the Ritz Hotel , banks, and exclusive shops like Giorgio Armani and jewelry stores like Boucheron , Mauboussin , and Cartier

OPERA

This quarter is known for the Grands Boulevards designed by Haussmann, lined with departments stores and boutiques around the Madeleine and the Opéra . There are also passages , shopping arcades reminiscent of 19th century Paris.

The Opéra itself, built during the Second Empire of Napoleon III , is often compared to a wedding cake. It is constructed of marble, stone, copper, and bronze with both Classical and Baroque styles. It currently houses the ballet.

Musée de l'Opéra - Exhibiting stage sets, photographs, musical scores, memorabilia, library of books on music, theatre and dance, and major composers' busts.

La Madeleine

Bibliothèque de France - This is the largest library in the world with a copy of the Gutenberg Bible , some Dead Sea Scrolls , medieval Psalm Books with paintings by Carolus Magnus , a huge and the first collection of geography maps of the world, the finest engraving collection in the world, and antiques and coin collections.

The Opera Garnier


Localization: Paris - France.

Destination: The opera of Pâhry.

Discovered by: Patrick Desmaison.

Ferryman: No.

Status: Possible opening.

Means: Music, the Taxiphote.

Notes:
The communications between cultural places seems to be, within sight of many Obscure searches in the field, an obviousness. A Passage place between two operas can thus be completely plausible. Moreover It appears increasingly probable that the music is a rather effective method which allows the passage between the worlds.

It is thus not astonishing that assumptions of Passage exist in connection with the Garnier operas of Paris and that of Pâhry in the obscure world. However, it is not from our world which come the majority from the rumours and the indices concerning this Passage place, but rather from that Obscur. Indeed, many accounts managed to us as for the sudden decision to make close the opera of Pâhry, decision taken by the Berthelot civil servant. Dark and quite futile reasons had been called upon like the outdatedness of the places and the need for modernism which had a city which wished to compete with its neighbors. The opera of Pâhry was thus evacuated in all haste and then definitively closed in spite of the protests of many artists and music lovers.

Some other more discrete rumours made state of a parallel circulation in the heart of the opera, dissimulated passages, of not-in conformity size of some parts of some rooms. This circulation thus did not fail to worry the civils servant of the city who made their decisions of closing them. For as astonishing as that is this assumption, it would seem that also in the obscure world, one can fear some passages...

Of course, the evidence coming from the clear world also exists such as for example this mysterious letter written by Albert Richard, the nephew of Jules Richard, the inventor of the Taxiphote. In this letter, Albert Richard lets know to his uncle that a particular image of the Garnier opera looked in the Taxiphote would reveal a Passage towards an Obscur world. This Passage would let foresee the underground river which runs under the opera and which would lead towards this world. If the accused image reached us, the letter remains untraceable. The image et the simple sight does not reveal anything in particular if it is not this man who seems to assemble the steps of the opera while running. It is true that that seems absurd on an image intended to make the promotion of the building and Paris. To date unfortunately, it was not possible to view the image by means of a Taxiphote which made it possible to see possible Passage again. Perhaps does one also need a special Taxiphote, undoubtedly manufactured by Jules Richard himself?