When General De Gaulle suddenly left the political scene in April 1969, everyone rushed to compile statistics on the 11 years of his presidency. Among other things, it was revealed that he had called five referendums, held 19 press conferences, 25 tours of the French provinces and participated in 40 gala evenings at the Opéra.
According to the immutable ritual of presidential evenings, the Place de l'Opéra was closed to traffic. It should come as no surprise today that a ceremony involving the president could not be infinitely sumptuous, because the Opéra is intimately linked to the history of France. It is an institution like the Académie Française or the Legion of Honor. There are only three Parisian theaters considered, like the Opéra, National theaters – the Comédie Française, the Odéon and the Théâtre National Populaire. Furthermore, the Paris Opéra for the quality of the shows staged, is in a leading position among the great opera houses of the world: Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan in New York, the Berlin Opera, the Bolsoi in Fly. However, the Opera is the oldest of all, it was the year 1669. From time to time a royal, imperial, national theatre, it occupied 14 seats before finding the definitive one, at Palazzo Garnier.
It was Napoleon III, on 29 September 1860, who decreed that the construction of Palazzo Garnier was in the public interest. Two years earlier, on January 14, 1858, Napoleon and the Empress Eugenie had attended a show in Rue Le Peletier. At the precise moment when the carriage stopped in front of the theater entrance, a bomb planted by the anarchist Felice Orsini exploded a few meters away. The imperial couple narrowly escaped the assassination attempt. “We need an opera house that isn't a death trap,” muttered the emperor.
171 projects were presented in the competition for the construction of the new headquarters. The jury chose that of an almost unknown architect, Charles Garnier. A few months later the architect presented the scale model to Napoleon III and the empress.
“But what style is this?” exclaimed the Empress Eugenie “It's not classic, it's not Louis XV…”.
"It's Napoleon style III,” said Garnier.
And this is how Palazzo Garnier, with its elaborate corbels, pediments and blind windows, has always been considered the masterpiece of the Napoleon III style.
The construction of the large building took 15 years and an expenditure of 48 million gold francs. Garnier spent months designing an entrance for the imperial carriage through which horses could be galloped to thwart any attacks.
It so happened that the first destination of Palazzo Garnier was not that of an opera house. During the French-Prussian War of 1870-71 it was used as a storehouse for provisions. After the war, the Opèra was occupied by the Communards. When the opposing forces retook Paris, the rebels were imprisoned in the dungeons.
Built by the will of the last emperor in French history, the Paris Opéra was finally inaugurated on January 5, 1875 by the first president of the Third Republic, Marshal Marie Edmé Patrice Maurice Mac Mahon. Since that day the most famous conductors in the world have climbed onto the podium: Arturo Toscanini, André Messager, Igor Stravinskij, Herbert von Karajan and others.
The most singular performance was that of 1877, when Johann Strauss appeared on stage with the bow in one hand and the violin in the other, while the audience wondered where he kept his baton to conduct. The answer was not long in coming: to the general astonishment, the musician started playing the first waltz with enthusiasm and at the same time directed the orchestra, tapping time with his feet.
Even the most famous voices in the world have performed on this stage; to remember the masterful interpretation of the great Čaliapin in Boris Godunov. The fervor that the famous singer put into his work was exceptional. His thirst for perfectionism made him seem extravagant at times. One day in 1906, at the height of a performance, he literally fell into a trance. First he took off his jacket, then he loosened his tie, finally he slipped off his waistcoat. But the audience was so enthralled by the brilliance of his bronze voice that at the end of the act there was applause like thunder: no one seemed to notice that the great singer was left in his shirtsleeves.
While the voice that triggered the deepest emotion was that of the great American soprano Grace Moore. On 18 June 1945, a few months after the liberation of Paris, the singer presented herself on the balcony of the Opéra and, in perfect French, she sang La Marseillaise in front of a silent crowd, stiffened to attention.
But the Opèra is a world unto itself, it is made up of men, women, singers, dancers, extras and behind the scenes there are the theater machinery, the lighting and music technicians and then there are other people in charge of the costumes, make-up artists and many others. And it is that even today it continues to be a place of ageless charm.
One of the most exciting works of art is the painting on the vault of theOpera da Marc Chagall, which he created in 1963 on behalf of the French Minister of Culture, André Malraux. The dominant colors are red, green, blue, yellow and white. The images pay tribute to Mozart, Wagner, Mussorgsky, Berlioz and Ravel as well as famous dancers and actors. It was inaugurated in September 1964 to the sound of the Trojan march by Hector Berlioz the corps de ballet entered the stage and, in honor of Chagall, a symphony by Mozart was performed, and only at the end did the chandelier light up which revealed the emotion”
"Up there in my painting I wanted to reflect like a bouquet in a mirror, the dreams and creations of singers and musicians, to call to mind the movements of the audience sitting below in all their colorful clothes, and to honor the great composers of operas and ballets. Sometimes what is considered inconceivable becomes possible, what seems strange becomes understandable. Our secret dreams are only thirsty d'Love. I wanted to pay tribute to Garnier by working here with all my soul. I now offer this work with gratitude to France and the Ecole de Paris, without which there would have been no color or freedom for me."
