Bizet’s Carmen in Toulon
Whatever else you might have heard about Toulon, you should be aware that it has a gorgeous nineteenth century opera house — one of the largest opera houses in France Read More …
Tag: Racine
Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo in Reims
The Reims Opera House was originally called the Grand Théâtre when it was first built in 1873. It was severely damaged in World War I. After several years delay it Read More …
Louis XIV and his Versailles Palace
My original intention was to ride around Paris on the Vélib’ bikes during the day and just come out to Versailles for the evening performance at the Royal Opera, but Read More …
Feel Gluck in Nürnberg
In case you are wondering why there is a car with its back end jacked up in front of the opera house in this photo, rest assured that nobody is Read More …
The Château of Maintenon
From its beginnings as a defensive fortress in the 13th century, the Château of Maintenon was gradually transformed by various owners into a comfortable aristocratic residence. Françoise d’Aubigné, the future Read More …
Racine’s Esther in Saint-Cyr
One of the features of Madame de Maintenon’s school in its early years was that the girls were allowed to perform plays, to improve their public speaking abilities and expose Read More …