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.
