# Opera House Settings



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

On the subject of opera houses: some are prominent features of the city landscape while others are seemingly camoflaged on some forgettable back street. While ultimately, yes, it's what goes on inside that counts, to me a grand approach is part of the experience of going to the opera. 

What are the best and worst opera house settings you've seen?


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Mine:

Best-
Metropolitan Opera: strolling down Broadway and across the plaza at Lincoln Center sets the standard for grand approaches.
Palais Garnier: vies with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe as the center of the center of the universe.
La Scala: situated on a bit of a side street, the proper breathtaking approach is via the Piazza del Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

Worst-
Chicago's Lyric Opera: at the base of an office building in the financial district isolated from the rest of our cultural instituions in Chicago's "front yard". Opera goers typically have to swim upstream against the tide of rush hour office dwellers heading to the train station across the river.
Maggio Musicale: Florence's most non-descript building on the most non-descript side street in town.


----------



## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

The amsterdam opera has a great location on the main river, around the corner from the central squares and just up the river from the royal theatre.

In London, despite the grand building the English National Opera is hidden away somewhat i.e. it doesnt have a grand view, but it is right in the busiest and most touristic part of town.








The Royal opera house on the other hand is just around the corner but imposes on its landscape much more:


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

I think the Oslo opera is situated rather beautifully:


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Is the Lyric Opera in Chicago the one which has the names of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and two others (I don't remember who) engraved on its front?


----------



## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Aksel said:


> I think the Oslo opera is situated rather beautifully:


It certainly is. It looks a lot like the film museum in amsterdam:








Who was the architect, do you know?


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

emiellucifuge said:


> It certainly is. It looks a lot like the film museum in amsterdam:
> View attachment 12007
> 
> 
> Who was the architect, do you know?


A Norwegian architecture firm called Snøhetta.


----------



## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

As mentioned La Scala Milan. Paris is a unique city, where all buildings are "planned" in the space (or it seems like), with lots of space around it. The building of Opera Garnier is magnificant and it's very well situated. So is the Vienna State Opera. Just the sheer size of the VSO is impressive. 

The Royal Opera House in London is not very well situated at all. The streets are very narrow. No open places nearby. 

Again, it's what happens inside that counts. But I must say that the first time La Scala appeared after I walked out of the Galleria Vittorio , I was very excited. It's the greet feeling of nostalgia. The yellow streetcars. The same when you walk down the street and pass the Hotel where Verdi lived. 

By the way, all in Milan there are very new and trendy looking streetcars, except in the street of La Scala it seems ! I wonder if it on purpose.


----------



## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

Small, but unique is the Estates Theater in Prague. Prague is just one big open air museum.

This is the place where Don Giovanni premiered and where Mozart himself conducted. Talking about nostalgia...


----------



## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Dongiovanni said:


> Paris is a unique city, where all buildings are "planned" in the space (or it seems like), with lots of space around it. The building of Opera Garnier is magnificant and it's very well situated.
> 
> .


Well yeah... Napoleon III had large sections of Paris demolished to make for his 'renovation'.


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

SiegendesLicht said:


> Is the Lyric Opera in Chicago the one which has the names of Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner and two others (I don't remember who) engraved on its front?


You are thinking of Orchestra Hall, which is nicely situated on Michigan Avenue facing the Art Institute and Grant Park.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Opernhaus Zürich is set in a large open space which could be beautiful but it's used as a car park. There is a great deal of development going on around it so maybe the new landscape will be nicer. I took the third photo from the other side of the lake.


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

sospiro said:


> Opernhaus Zürich is set in a large open space which could be beautiful but it's used as a car park. There is a great deal of development going on around it so maybe the new landscape will be nicer. I took the third photo from the other side of the lake.


Ha! We've got the same photos from our separate but intersecting visits.

Yes, let's hope the field of gravel in front of the lovely facade and entrance is only temporary. It certainly made for an inauspicious approach to such a stately edifice.

The modern brick building housing the offices and shops for the opera (seen in the 3rd photo above) seemed out of context with the opera house and surrounding area, but at least it didn't complete with the opera house for attention - maybe that was the point.

Extra points for the large number of cafes in the immediately vicinity.


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Aksel said:


> I think the Oslo opera is situated rather beautifully:


By coincidence this week's New Yorker magazine includes a feature on the Norwegian and American principals of the Snøhetta firm. Sounds like the opera house is the centerpiece of a major development of a previously industrial waterfront, including removal of the elevated highway seen in the photo. Most impressive to me is that a new crosstown tunnel underneath the bay is called the Operatunnelen.


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Cavaradossi said:


> By coincidence this week's New Yorker magazine includes a feature on the Norwegian and American principals of the Snøhetta firm. Sounds like the opera house is the centerpiece of a major development of a previously industrial waterfront, including removal of the elevated highway seen in the photo. Most impressive to me is that a new crosstown tunnel underneath the bay is called the Operatunnelen.


Yes. The building project down in Bjørvika will be very interesting to see completed. They're planning both the new public library and (hopefully) the new Munch museum down there. I'm really excited for the project to be completed.


----------

