Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Charles Garnier's 1879 opera house on the Place du Casino, home of the Monte-Carlo opera company.
Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris opera house, designed the Salle Garnier as an extension of the Monte Carlo Casino for Prince Charles III. It was built in about eight months and opened on 25 January 1879 with a recital by Sarah Bernhardt. The auditorium seats roughly five hundred and is decorated in red and gold with bas-reliefs and frescoes; the seaward front, with its two towers, faces the Mediterranean. A restoration between 2003 and 2005 returned the interior to its original colouring.
Under Raphaël Gunsbourg, director from 1892 to 1951, the house gave the premieres of works including Massenet's Don Quichotte, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Puccini's La rondine, and Diaghilev's Ballets Russes performed here for many seasons. Cecilia Bartoli has directed the company since 2023. The present season combines staged opera, concert performances, recitals and orchestral concerts, with the larger productions transferring to the Grimaldi Forum.
Highlights
- Salle Garnier auditorium of about 500 seats in red and gold
- Seaward facade with twin towers facing the Mediterranean
- Premieres of Ravel, Massenet and Puccini under Raphaël Gunsbourg
- Company directed by Cecilia Bartoli since 2023
