The Opéra Bastille

Opéra Bastille is a modern opera house in Paris, France. The architect was Carlos Ott . The building was inaugurated on July 13, 1989, on the 200th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. However, it did not see its first performance until March 17, 1990, with Berlioz's Les Troyens. The building is located at Place de la Bastille, in the 12th arrondissement. It seats 2,716 and every seat has an unrestricted view of the stage.

Opéra Bastille was designed to replace the Opera Garnier, which is now used for ballet performances. It is the home base of the Opéra National de Paris.

Background and construction

In 1982, François Mitterrand, the French president, decided to build a new opera house in Paris. He wanted it to become a modern and popular opera house in order to share classical music with the masses. Therefore, he created the Opera Bastille Public Establishment (l'Établissement Public Opéra-Bastille).

A competition to select the architect to build this new opera was held in 1983. It was won by Carlos Ott , a Canadian-Uruguayan, on November 10, 1984.

Construction began in 1984 with the demolition of Paris Bastille train station , which was opened in 1859 and closed on December 14, 1969, and where art expositions were held thereafter until its demolition.

Access

• Bastille station of the Paris Métro.

External link

• Paris National Opera (in French)