Opera
Opéra Bastille
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History and Fun Facts about the Opéra Bastille
Designed by Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, the building was commissioned by French President François Mitterrand and inaugurated in 1989. For years, many had lamented the lack of a modern venue in Paris capable of welcoming modern concerts and performances with different acoustic approaches, and the flexibility that a modulable venue lends. A movement started in the 1960s called for a larger new venue in Paris that would appeal to the masses, a modern compliment to the elaborate Palais Garnier. Just over 100 years after the inauguration of the Palais Garnier, the demands finally won over the newly-elected President Mitterrand, who supported the project as the headliner among many modern works launched during his term. Selecting the popular Bastille neighbourhood for its ease of accessibility from Paris and the surrounding areas, the old Bastille Train Station was destroyed to make way for the construction of the new venue. The building was completed just in time for the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
The venue has undergone many changes in direction resulting from varying political affiliations, and has undergone major renovations since its construction to repair and to soundproof the entire structure. Unlike other auditorium designs, each and every seat at the Opéra Bastille guarantees an unrestricted view of the stage. With its white glass ceiling, crisp gray compliments, and black seating adorned with rich oak, the venue is an ode to modernity and simplistic design. From the exterior, made of blue granite from Brittany and blocks of glass, light is reflected from every corner of this angular venue.
Fast facts
Capacity: 2,745
Handicap Accessible: Yes – in order to guarantee access to specific locations, we ask that you make your reservation at least 15 days before the performance.
Air conditioning: Yes
Heating: Yes
Coat Check: Yes (free service)
LOCATION
Place de la Bastille, 75012 Paris
Bastille
Past shows at this venue
Opera
Carmen
Opera
Tosca
Opera
Verdi's La Forza del Destino
Ballet & Dance
Tree of Codes
Opera
I Puritani
Opera
La Traviata
Opera
Madama Butterfly
Opera
Les Indes Galantes
Opera
Verdi's Don Carlo
Opera
Prince Igor
Opera
Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Opera
The Tales of Hoffmann (Les contes d’Hoffmann)
Opera
Manon (Bastille)
Opera
Wagner's Das Rheingold
Opera
Adriana Lecouvreur
Opera
Wagner's Die Walküre
Opera
Boris Godounov
Opera
La Bohème at The Opéra Bastille
Ballet & Dance
Noureev's Raymonda
Ballet & Dance
Swan Lake (Le Lac des cygnes)
Ballet & Dance
La Bayadère
Opera
Il Trovatore
Opera
Verdi's Aida
Opera
Faust at Opéra Bastille
Opera
The Queen of Spades
Opera
Oedipe
Opera
L'Elisir d'Amore
Opera
Der Fliegende Holländer
Opera
Turandot
Opera
Don Quichotte by Jules Massenet
Opera
Khovanshchina
Opera
Wozzeck
Ballet & Dance
Swan Lake
Opera
Cendrillon (Cinderella)
Opera
Elektra
Opera
Parsifal
Ballet & Dance
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Opera
The Capulets and the Montagues
Drama
Opera
Salome
Drama
Opera
The Force of Destiny
Opera
Tristan and Isolde
Ballet & Dance
Maurice Béjart
Ballet & Dance
Signes
Opera
Romeo and Juliet
Opera
Nixon in China
Opera
Hamlet
Opera
Lucia di Lammermoor
Opera
Bluebeard’s Castle Concert Opera
Opera
La Vestale
New
Opera
Simon Boccanegra
Opera
The Exterminating Angel
Ballet & Dance
The Nutcracker
Ballet & Dance
Don Quixote by Rudolf Nureyev
Opera
Falstaff at the Opéra Bastille
Opera