~ Top 10 Most Beautiful Theaters ~

[MysteRy]

Top 10 Most Beautiful Theaters

Sitting down in an age old theater that is uniquely designed in Romanesque architecture or Victorian seems to bring you back in time somehow, leaving you with the feeling that you are sitting in the same seat that someone of past grandeur sat, it is sort of like stepping into new shoes for the first time. This top 10 list will make you aware of the most beautiful theaters around the world, some have been around for centuries, some just a couple decades and some are places that are well-known in history. So no matter the reasons you travel to these 10 beautiful theaters you are sure to have a good time and great experience. History buffs, performance enthusiasts and anyone with a taste for theater works will all be glad they now know about these grand theaters.


1. Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona



Erected in the heart of Barcelona, Spain is the Gran Teatre del Liceu or simply referred The Lyceum by those who have travelled its halls. The theater has been around 1847, although parts have been rebuilt since then due to war and devastating fires. In present day the theater is up to its original quality and has been rebuilt and added to impeccably. Operas are the main performances that take place in the theater and there have been over 4,000 performances in the theater since its opening although the first performance took place in the year 1854. Anna Bolena was the first opera performed in the theater walls by Gaetano Donizetti, his opera performances lived on for many years after his show and his operas were quite popular. Some of Wagners works have been performed in The Lyceum as well. The theater stays very busy with many premieres foreign and domestic and routine performances, it is a must go when in Spain.

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2. La Scala, Milan



Italy is renowned for its artistic works and the place where many playwrights express their souls and magical writings. La Scala is not just known in Milan but throughout the world as it is a world renowned opera house, which has been around since 1778. The architecture of the theater and the interior design is grand in nature, every seat in the theater is more than accommodating to it guest. Even to this day the theater is recognized as the best theater for operas and ballets, where the top performers make their debuts. The theater was actually around even before 1778 but a devastating fire broke out in 1776 and raged out of control, destroying the original building. The theater which was erected in 1778 was commissioned by the empress Maria Theresa. Throughout the years many foreign and Italian conductors have left their mark in the theater. It is the best theater in Italy that everyone should see at least once in their life.

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3. Sydney Opera House, Sydney



Australias premier performing arts theater is the Sydney Opera House, which is in every way a multi venue theater. The theater is definitely the place to see for live performances when in Australia. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognized structures in the city and might be the most recognized in the whole country of Australia. Even though the opera house was just opened in 1973 it has been recognized since 2007 as a UNESCO world heritage site for its unique award winning design. Surrounded on three sides by coves, the perfect location gives it the best views and vistas as well. It is also one of the most busy performance complexes in the world being host to over 1,500 performances every year. The site attracts over 7 million tourists looking to catch a performance, walk the halls and even just to get a picture in front of the unique construction each year.

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4. Colon Theatre, Buenos Aires



The Colon theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina is the countrys leading performing arts center and it is said that it is one of the five best acoustically designed opera houses in the world. The original theater was opened in 1857 but from the popularity it was decided that a larger and feature rich theater was needed for the masses to enjoy. It was a 20 year process to construct the present theater that now stands. After the meticulous redesign and expansion of the original theater the doors were finally opened again in 1908 to the general population. Once the theater reopened again in the early 1900s, the most popular singers and composers of that early time performed on the grand stage once again. After a few decades though the popularity of the theater went into a downward spiral and plans for a massive renovation were made and finally completed just as recently as 2010. Now the theater has returned to it original status and the seats are almost always filled, when performances take place.

[MysteRy]

5. Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow



The Russian culture is a strong and hard one but they are also known to have some of the worlds most recognized poets and playwrights throughout the centuries, when it comes to catching an opera performance while in Moscow then the place that holds the most impeccable performances is the Bolshoi Theater in the capital city, Moscow. The theater just completed a 680 billion dollar renovation as recently as 2011 and was restored marvelously to its original stature. The theater holds some of the worlds oldest and most renowned performances in the world today. The companies that put on the ballet performances and opera performances are among the oldest surviving companies in the industry, if not the oldest. Within the theater is an imperial design and restoring this original décor was part of the massive renovation as well as restoring the acoustic qualities of the theater, which was damaged during the long lived Soviet era.

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6. Royal Opera House, London



In the heart of central London is the Royal Opera House, which like the Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts center. Originally the theater was built in the year 1732, making it one of the oldest on this list. Although the original structure that is standing this day is the third theater construction as somehow it seems that fires are attracted to theater buildings and the Royal Opera House suffered from three devastating fires. For the first 100 years of its life the theater or back then known as the "Theater Royal” served as a playhouse. After the final fire outbreak the theater has had many additions and renovations in which in the current structure only the nucleus is part of the third structure built. During the Second World War the theater primarily became a dancehall and no longer staged performances such as opera or ballet but due to many petitioning the status of the theater it was returned to its original purpose.

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7. Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), New York



The Metropolitan Opera House in the Lincoln Center of New York is quite young in comparison to some so far on this list as it was just opened in 1966. The theater has around 3,800 seats for patrons to sit and enjoy numerous performances, there are also nearly 195 places for guests to stand and watch the shows that take place in the theater as well. The theater replaced the original opera house with the same but in another location in the year it opened and the theater held its first performance even before it was opened to the public months later. The first performances held were for groups of high school students, mainly for the purpose of adjusting the acoustics of the theater. The theater also boasts a 20 million dollar collection of paintings and giant grand murals throughout its halls and stairways. Today the theater attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

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8. Teatro Real, Madrid



After thirty year of meticulous planning and redesign the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain began and through royal order it was completed just 5 months later after the royal family gave the order to immediately complete the construction of the theater. The construction was completed in the same year that the royal order was given in 1850 and started performances just shortly after the finish of the remarkable building. Since then many world renowned performances have taken place every year and famous composers from throughout the world visit quite frequently to express their works. Since its construction the theater has had many additions and has expanded its seating capacity many times as well. Teatro Real is one of Madrids main landmarks with many affluent individuals traveling yearly to the city just to see the premiers that take place in the world renowned theater. After visiting the Barcelona theater dont forget to make a visit to Teatro Real.

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9. Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper), Vienna



Austrias premier opera house is the Vienna State Opera; it is not just a theater though it is also the main opera company of the small country. The original title of the theater was the Vienna Court Opera, but this was later changed to its current name by order of the First Austrian Republic. The order to start work on the construction of the building came in 1861 but it was an 8 year long process before the work was finished with the final touches taking place in the year 1869. The Vienna State Opera was designed with a unique and prestigious Neo-renaissance style. The architectural style is actually one of the main highlights of visiting the theater as the décor and detailed works are quite amazing to say the least. One interesting fact of the construction of the building is that the company that laid the foundation of the structure in 1863 is still operating to this day.

[MysteRy]

10. Teatro la Fenice, Venice



Stealing much of the glory from the other theaters in Europe is the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, as it is the top pick for many enthusiasts due to its unique design and world renowned performances that grow the citys population by the millions each year. The name of the theater actually means "The Phoenix” which symbolizes the rise of opera in the community that once died out in popularity but made its valiant rise once again. The construction of the theater only took two years to complete, so by 1792 it was completed and opened for performances. The original theater was rebuilt many times as again fire has its devastating effects on these old theater constructions and the major fire that destroyed this theater took place in 1836. The present theater finished in 2006 and workers that restored the theater managed to bring back to life the original grandeur of the theater at no little cost of course as the restoration cost a total of 90 million euros.