Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Opera house in Monte Carlo, Monaco
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo, also called the Salle Garnier, adjoins the Monte-Carlo Casino in Monaco. Its cream stone facade has three large arched windows between columns, three pairs of dark doors above a low staircase, and a wide green copper roof flanked by two towers with small green cupolas. Charles Garnier designed it, and it seats 524.
Built as part of the Monte Carlo Casino, the hall was designed by Charles Garnier at the urging of Marie Blanc and opened on 25 January 1879 with a performance by Sarah Bernhardt. Construction took eight months and required closing the casino during the works. Raoul Gunsbourg directed it from 1892 to 1951, a period that saw premieres of works by Massenet, Fauré and Ravel. Closed in 2000, it reopened on 16 November 2005 after a 26-million-euro restoration.
The hall opened on 25 January 1879 with Sarah Bernhardt performing as a nymph, and the first opera, Planquette's Le Chevalier Gaston, followed on 8 February 1879. Its name, Salle Garnier, honours architect Charles Garnier. Three times it has been turned into a gala-dinner venue: for the 1966 Monte-Carlo centenary hosted by Grace Kelly and Rainier III, for the wedding of Albert II and Charlene, and on 27 July 2013 for the Love Ball of the Naked Heart Foundation.
Visitors should know that most performances take place during the season from October through July. It is advisable to check the dress code, as formal attire is expected for many events.
The Salle Garnier was built in eight and a half months, far faster than Garnier's Paris opera, which took from 1861 to 1875. It seats 524, against roughly 2,000 at the Palais Garnier. The hall closed in 2000 and reopened on 16 November 2005 after a restoration costing 26 million euros.
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