- Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
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The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Auditorium of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, engraving by Poulleau.Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, is a Theatre in Bordeaux, France, first inaugurated on 17 April 1780. It was in this theatre that the ballet La Fille Mal Gardée premiered in 1789, and where a young Marius Petipa staged some of his first ballets.
The Theatre was designed by the architect Victor Louis (1731-1800), who was selected for the task by winning the famous Grand Prix de Rome. Louis was also famous for designing the galleries surrounding the gardens of the Palais Royal, and the Théâtre Français in Paris.
The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux was conceived as a temple of the Arts and Light, with a neo-classical facade endowed with a portico of 12 Corinthian style colossal columns which support an entablature on which stand 12 statues that represent the nine Muses and three goddesses (Juno, Venus and Minerva).
In 1871 the theatre was briefly the National Assembly for the French Parliament.
The inside of the theatre was restored in 1991, and once again has its original colours of blue and gold. The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux is one of the oldest wooden frame opera houses in Europe not to have burnt or required rebuilding.
Today the theatre is home to the Opéra National de Bordeaux, as well as the Ballet National de Bordeaux.
See also
Categories:- Opera structure stubs
- Theatres in France
- Opera houses in France
- Neoclassical architecture in France
- Buildings and structures in Bordeaux
- Buildings and structures completed in 1780
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