A Tour of History's Greatest Opera Houses

Written by Josephine Walbank

For this week, at NSOS our theme of Great Opera Houses has given us delightful opportunity to explore, showcase and learn a bit more about some of the world's most sensational cultural landmarks. 

In this blog post, we would like to take a moment to ponder at a greater length the role that history has had on the style, shape and visuals of the world's opera houses. The theme for the week got me thinking, 'how did architects 200 years ago approach this kind of task, compared to the way in which an architect would design an opera house today?'

Hence, the inspiration for this week's blog. 

So, without further ado, below you'll find a selection of top picks for opera houses that we feel represent an intriguing timeline of the history of these buildings across the world. 

1. The Royal Opera of Versailles (opened 1770)

This breathtaking building possesses, quite simply, everything that we love about opera's rich history. 

Situated within the Palace of Versailles, this opera house (would you believe that it is 250 years old this year? It's aged well, that's for sure) is the ultimate in baroque splendour. It is one of the finest examples of the work of the renowned architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, and even today it holds a reputation for providing beautiful acoustics, largely thanks to the fact that its interior is almost entirely wooden (decorated using a snazzy faux marble technique). 

2. Bolshoi Theatre (opened 1856)

One of the most stunning attractions in Moscow, the Bolshoi Theatre was first founded under the reign of Catherine the Great. The vast pillars that make up its grand, unmistakable exterior, combined with the exquisite gold detailing that adorns its interior, makes this an opera house with a level of splendour that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

The building was carefully reconstructed from 2005-2011 in order to both equip it with modern innovations in theatre technology, while also reviving the historic beauty of this magnificent building. 

3. Amazon Theatre (opened 1896)

This entry provides a rather exceptional representative of the world's opera houses as it's set, of all places, deep within the heart of the Amazon rain forest.

With its trademark awe-inspiring dome (made up of a staggering 36,000 individual pieces, all in the colours that make up the Brazilian flag) and a bold, red, Renaissance style exterior, this opera house isn't short of features that make it stand out from the crowd.

4. Sydney Opera House (opened 1973)

We couldn't not include this one. The Sydney Opera House is a staple representative of the contributions that modern opera houses make to innovative architectural developments. Indeed, it is one of the most iconic buildings from the entire 20th century. It's even made it on to UNESCO's list as a World Heritage Site.

One thing we were surprised to learn was that the building's design actually came from a competition, after Jørn Utzon's concept was picked as the favourite from 233 entries.

5. Copenhagen Opera House (opened 2005)

This stunning neo-futuristic building is one of the most modern opera houses in the entire world. The design of Denmark's national opera house was a joint effort by the architect Henning Larsen, the engineers Ramboll and Buro Happold and the theatre consultancy Theatreplan. 

Situated in central Copenhagen, the stunning, ultra-modern construction is a perfect representative of how opera continues to be loved by and adapt to the modern age. 

It's actually also one of the world's most extensive, well-equipped opera houses - with 6 stages, seating for 1700, and an orchestra pit that can comfortably fit 110 performers. But, it didn't come cheap (the final price tag for the construction came in at over $500 million).




If you feel like we've missed out any big players (unfortunately, we couldn't include them all!) leave your comments below and share your favourite examples of stand out opera houses with us and the rest of the NSOS community!