10 best opera houses in the world

Each opera house is a special, unique work of art. The list of the ten best opera houses in the world, immerses in an atmosphere of grandeur and sublimity.

Top ten of the best, according to The National Geographic:

10. Lincoln Center, New York, USA

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which harmoniously combines everything from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York Ballet, also has a library and two theaters. The center promotes not only classics, but also innovations, something completely new, not familiar to the viewer. Operas in the Met are regularly filmed and shown to the public in theaters around the world. The role of the Lincoln Center for the Arts is also significant in the field of education: a rich repertoire contributes to the inspiration and creativity of students and professionals.

9. Vienna State Opera (Staatsoper), Vienna, Austria

Built in 1869, the Staatsoper was inaugurated with Mozart's Don Giovanni. Its reputation as the center of Venice's musical life has long been established and the Staatsoper remains one of the finest opera houses in the world. Although most of it was destroyed on March 12, 1945, when the Allies bombed the city by the end of World War II, the main staircase and several other public areas miraculously survived. To understand what everything looked like before the air raid, one has only to go through the main entrance to the foyer. The theater you see now was reopened after the end of the Russian occupation of Austria, and the first play staged after the long years of war was Ludwig van Beethoven's Fidelio, a hymn to freedom.

8. Royal Opera of Versailles, Versailles, France

The interior of the Royal Opera, located in the famous luxury palace of Versailles, is distinguished by its skillful work. The wooden walls have been painted to resemble marble (and indeed, almost impossible to distinguish from the original). Gold is harmoniously combined with pink and green shades of marble, sky blue curtains and upholstery. Violating the traditional Italian style (which most theaters correspond to), the Royal Opera is ringed with two balconies and the building itself is crowned with a vast colonnade, which, thanks to the play of mirrors, seems to extend into infinity. Ange-Jacques Gabriel built the theater in 1769 in preparation for the marriage of the Dauphin, future King Louis XVI, and the Austrian princess Marie-Antoinette. After the French Revolution, the theater was used only occasionally for various events. Today, special gala performances are often held here.

7. Paris Opera, Paris, France

The main facade of the Opera makes a strong impression, although it would seem that in Paris, a city where wonderful architectural statues are literally on every corner, it is already impossible to surprise. The magnificently decorated building with its crown of the dome was built in 1875. The Bolshoi Theater inside is suitable for both ballet and opera. Some of the largest ceremonial spaces in the world are found here at the Paris Opera, where their grandeur gives importance to all sorts of events. The rich and vibrant interiors reflect the tastes and moods of the Second Empire of France. In 1962, Marc Chagall created new frescoes in the center of the Palais Garnier ceiling. The result, no less impressive, is all the more remarkable in that it does not contradict the formal character of the interior decor.

6. Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

Situated on a patch of land jutting out into Sydney Harbor, the stunning modern Sydney Opera House has great views of the sailboat-strewn water. Even if attending a performance is not your plan, you should visit the Sydney Opera House just for the sake of gazing at the stunning building. The structure was designed by Jorn Utzon to offer a series of overlapping projectiles and sails. The grand opening took place in 1973. The first performance at the theater was "War and Peace" by Prokofiev. Inside, each theater is clad with panels of different types of wood to improve the acoustics of the room, as well as to make it more aesthetically pleasing. All major performance areas have their own foyers.

5. Bolshoi Theater, Moscow, Russia

One of the main theaters in Russia, renowned for one of the best symphony orchestras in the world, the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow has gone through "fire, water and copper pipes," or to be more precise, fire, war and revolution. Its stunning neoclassical portico topped with the statue of Apollo in his chariot, is a harbinger of the splendor that will appear before the eyes of visitors, one has only to enter. In 2005, the theater was closed for renovation and was reopened only in the fall of 2011. Four balconies and a top gallery surround an orchestra, where seats are Chippendale chairs upholstered in red damask. The ballet troupe of the Moscow theater enjoys world fame. Here the famous choreographer Yuri Grigorovich staged memorable performances "Swan Lake", "Golden Age" and "Romanda".

4. Royal Opera House, London, England

The Royal Opera House was built in Covent Garden at the beginning of the 18th century, and has not changed its location, but the modern theater building is already the third in a row located on this site. The first operas by Georg Friedrich Handel were performed within the walls of the Royal Theater, and later many operas and oratorios were written by the German composer for the place in particular. He performed here regularly from 1735 to the very day of his death in 1759.

3. Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina

To keep up with the wealthy industrialists of the United States, Argentines, as avid opera fans, completed the Teatro Colon in 1908. It is by no means easy to define the style of this theater: there is a little bit of everything in it, it took the best from various European theaters. And this is not surprising, because so many architects were involved in the construction. This outstanding recording from a huge opera house, containing great performances, is only coordinated with a group of famous artists who once adorned its stage. The theater has its own exquisite costumes and picturesque building departments.

2. Teatro San Carlo, Naples, Italy

Built by King Charles of Bourbon in 1737, the magnificent San Carlo red and gold Theater is the oldest in the world, and before the erection of La Scala, it was also the most prestigious in Italy. Some of Gioachino Rossini's most popular operas have premiered at the San Carlo stage.

1. La Scala, Milan, Italy

Teatro alla Scala in Milan is perhaps the most famous opera house in the world. It is he who is associated with classical opera. The names of such world famous composers as Gioacchino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi and Gaetano Donizetti are associated with the theater, built in 1778. One of the highlights of La Scala is the concave canal under the orchestra's wooden floor, which gives the auditorium such excellent acoustics.