Opéra Garnier – Auditorium

And finally - the inner sanctum of Opéra Garnier - the auditorium. Its horseshoe shape, in so-called "French style" (duh!), is designed for the audience not so much to see the stage, but rather the rest of the audience. Back then an opera outing was the ultimate "see and be seen" occasion.

But the fabled stage, which saw Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolph Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov (see, how I carefully selected only those who hail from Russia?), is also quite visible, at least from where I was sitting, pardon the pun. Hint - this is the view from my seat.

Speaking of the stage. The production of "Le Nozze di Figaro" I saw, was a contemporary one, and they decided to forgo the curtain, as you can see. However, the Opéra Garnier curtain is not really a curtain. It′s a piece of canvas that′s being drawn down like a Roman window shade, with a lavish red drape painted on it.

If you look closely, you will see that the valance (the top curtain cover) is also painted on some sturdy material, maybe also canvas. The words Anno 1669 (The Year 1669) refer to the year when Louis XIV started opera performances in his royal palaces, which Paris National Opera now considers its birthdate.

But honestly, the first thing you see when you enter the auditorium, is not the stage (especially, when it′s bare, like what I saw). First you see this. The Chagall ceiling.

Before we talk about the scandalous painting (because it WAS scandalous), let′s have a look at the ceiling itself. ⇨

⇨ At the intricacy of the cupola′s rim, ... ⇨

⇨ ... at the imitation diamonds (George Balanchine will later steal this idea for New York State Theater, home of the New York City Ballet he founded), ... ⇨

⇨ ... and at the famous bronze and crystal chandelier, today the world’s third largest. It weighs 8 metric tonnes, has 340 lights altogether, and was designed by Garnier himself. Just take a close look at this beauty.

The whole internal structure of the auditorium, made of steel beams hidden behind the red velvet and gilded stucco, was specifically designed to support the chandelier′s weight. So, let′s hope the urban legend of it falling will stay an urban legend.

OK, Chagall. He created this ceiling in 1964, at the behest of the then Minister of Culture André Malraux. Oh boy, was that a scandal! The critics moaned that the very distinct "Chagall-esque" painting is completely at odds with the rest of the carefully designed interior of the theatre.

Well, probably, it was some comfort for the detractors to know that the original ceiling by Jules-Eugène Lenepveu is still preserved underneath, encased in a plastic dome.

The ceiling is certainly in the signature Chagall style. His trademark willowy figures, depicting scenes from operas and ballets by famous composers (all helpfully signed - take a closer look!), are mixed with the prominent Parisian sights.