Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège
Wallonia's opera house, a neoclassical theatre of 1820 rebuilt behind a glass-roofed extension.
The Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège is one of Belgium's three principal opera companies, alongside La Monnaie in Brussels and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. It occupies the Théâtre Royal on the Place de l'Opéra, built between 1818 and 1820 to designs by Auguste Duckers on the site of a former Dominican convent. The neoclassical facade carries a portico of Corinthian columns, and a statue of the Liège-born composer André Grétry stands in front of it; his heart is interred in the monument's base.
The company was founded in 1967 and draws heavily on the Italian and French repertoire, with a resident orchestra and chorus. Between 2009 and 2012 the theatre was stripped back and rebuilt internally, gaining new technical facilities, rehearsal rooms and a glazed upper storey set back above the historic roofline; the auditorium seats around 1,000. Productions are sung in the original language with surtitles, and the season also includes symphonic concerts, ballet and participatory projects.
Highlights
- Neoclassical 1820 theatre with a Corinthian portico by Auguste Duckers
- Statue of the Liège composer André Grétry in front of the entrance
- Glazed rooftop volume added in the 2009-2012 reconstruction
- Auditorium of about 1,000 seats with resident orchestra and chorus
