Galeries Lafayette in Paris
Most of you are too young to remember this, but back in the twentieth century it was customary for department stores to consist of — departments. If you were looking Read More …
Tag: Operas in Paris
Don Pasquale at the Opéra Garnier
Donizetti’s Don Pasquale is a funny opera that is full of lovely music and also serves as a timely reminder to all us older men that we shouldn’t get any Read More …
Verdi’s Troubadour at the Opéra Bastille
This audience at the Opéra Bastille in Paris turned out to be highly enthusiastic, rewarding all four of the lead singers in Verdi’s Troubadour with bravos and prolonged applause after Read More …
Gounod at the Opéra Comique
The French composer Charles Gounod (1818-1893) is best known today for two of his operas, Roméo et Juliette (based on the Shakespeare play) and Faust (based on Goethe’s monumental drama). Read More …
Händel’s Julius Caesar at the Opéra Garnier
The opera Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) by Georg Friedrich Händel takes place in Egypt in the year 48 B.C. and has to do with Caesar’s Egyptian war and his love Read More …
Opera Library and Museum in Paris
The library-museum in the Opéra Garnier is one of the public sites of the French National Library (Bibliothèque National de France or BnF). It is located in the Rotonde de Read More …
Auber at the Opéra-Comique
The Salle Favart, home of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, re-opened in April 2017 after twenty months of renovation. At first glance the hall looks much the same as it did Read More …
Operas at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Gaspare Spontini (1774-1851) was an Italian opera composer who spent many years in Paris and later in Berlin. His best-known opera, La Vestale, was first performed in Paris in 1807. Read More …
Ten days, eight operas, seven venues
The amazing thing about my visit to Paris in June 2006 was that in ten days I saw eight operas at seven different venues. As I wrote at the time, Read More …
Guided tour of the Opéra Bastille
The only way to have a look at the backstage areas of the Opéra Bastille (unless you have business there) is to take a guided tour. These begin at 5.00 Read More …