Solis Theatre, Opera house in Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo, Uruguay
The Solís Theatre stands in Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja, its main entrance at the corner of Buenos Aires and Bartolomé Mitre streets. The neoclassical facade, compared to Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice, carries a triangular pediment with a carved sunburst above the inscription "TEATRO SOLIS" and a portico of tall columns. The elliptical main hall, likened to La Scala's, seats 1,145 spectators across stalls, boxes and gallery.
A shareholders' society formed in Montevideo in June 1840 to build a theatre, after citizens had pressed for one since 1833. Carlo Zucchi chose the site, but his design was dropped for budget reasons and Francisco Javier de Garmendia won the competition with a cheaper plan. Construction began in 1842 and the theatre opened in 1856. A reconstruction from 1998 to 2004 added two columns by Philippe Starck and new acoustics.
The theatre takes its name from Spanish explorer Juan Díaz de Solís, who reached the Río de la Plata in the 16th century. Opera and ballet performances fill the hall today, where multiple tiers curve in a horseshoe around the stage.
Visitors reach the theatre on foot in the oldest part of the city, where several streets meet at the facade. Tours take place during the day, while performances usually begin in the evening and open the cloakroom and foyer.
The French acoustic consultant Avel used special materials during renovation to spread sound evenly across all tiers. Craftsmen also restored the ceiling paintings originally created by Italian artists in the 19th century.
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