Top 5 Opera Experiences

Mar 4
09:15

2009

Karen Cooke

Karen Cooke

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Opera is a beautiful language that speaks to our hearts through musical and dramatic performances. Immerse yourself in the epitome of cultural bliss during your luxury travel.

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Here are our pick of the top five opera experiences around the world:

1. The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City

Visit the Metropolitan Opera House during your luxury New York vacation. It is the most widely known opera company in the world. The Met is home to many creative and talented artists,Top 5 Opera Experiences Articles including singers, conductors, composers, orchestra musicians, stage directors, designers, visual artists, choreographers, and dancers from around the world.

Through its National Council Auditions and Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, The Met discovers and trains artists, as well as presenting the best available talent from around the world.

Each season the Metropolitan stages more than two hundred opera performances in New York and more than 800,000 people attend the performances in the opera house during the season.

2. Opéra Garnier in Paris

Located in the heart of Paris, The Opera Garnier is a must see during your five star Paris holiday. Designed to seat 2,200 people, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious ballet scenes in Europe. Artists from all over the world stage dancing, musical and lyrical performances.

Regarded as one of the architectural masterpieces of its time, the building's neo-Baroque façade looks most impressive at night when it is illuminated by dozens of golden lamps and the glow of traffic lights. The Opéra Garnier is without doubt one of the most exclusive cultural spots in Europe, drawing tourists and music lovers from all over the world.

3. Teatro La Fenice in Venice

Venice is home to one of the most famous theatres in Europe, and the site of many famous operatic premieres. Since opening and being named La Fenice, it has twice burned down and was rebuilt in 19th-century style on the basis of a design by architect Aldo Rossi. The theatre reopened in December 2003 with an inaugural concert of Beethoven, Wagner, and Stravinsky.

Explore La Fenice during your luxury Venice vacation accompanied by an audio guide available at the box office. Or partake in a group excursion to the very heart of the Theatre. Admire the plasters and the gold of the prestigious halls and discover the secrets of the Theatre, including its origins, history and rebuilding. Enjoy an exclusive final cocktail served in the elegant Apollinee Halls.

4. Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain

The Teatro Real is one of the grandest operatic venues in the world. The Theatre overlooks the Palacio Real, the official residence of His Royalty the King of Spain. Inaugurated in 1850 with Donizetti's 'La Favorite', and under the aegis of Queen Isabella II, The Royal Theatre is associated with the famous work of Verdi 'La Forza del Destino', which was presented on its stage for the first time. After being inactive for a period, the site reopened as a concert hall in the 1966 and was remodeled in the 1990s to become an opera house. In 1997, the site was restored to its original 19th-century magnificence.

Explore The Teatro Real museum during your five star Spanish vacation by partaking in one of the daily tours.

5. Sydney Opera House, Australia

The Sydney Opera House is a masterpiece of late modern architecture. Explore the Sydney Opera House during your luxury Sydney holiday and see why it is admired internationally and cherished by Australians.

The Sydney Opera House was created following an international design competition where the brief was to create two performance halls, one for opera and one for symphony concerts. A young architect, Denmark's Jørn Utzon, was commissioned as the sole architect. His vision was an urban sculpture in patterned tiles, gleaming in the sunlight and aglow at night against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour.

In its short lifetime, Sydney Opera House has earned a reputation as a world-class performing arts centre and become an iconic symbol. It was inscribed in the World Heritage List in June 2007: "Sydney Opera House is a great architectural work of the 20th century. It represents multiple strands of creativity, both in architectural form and structural design, a great urban sculpture carefully set in a remarkable waterscape and a world famous iconic building."