Review
This controversial building -- it has been called a "beached whale".
Since it grand opening in July 1989, the Opera National de Paris has presented works such as Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades.
The main hall is the largest of any French opera house, with 2,700 seats, but music critics have lambasted the acoustics. The building contains two other concert halls, including an intimate 250-seat room that usually hosts chamber music.
Both traditional opera performances and symphony concerts are presented here, as well as both classical and modern dance. Several concerts are given for free in honour of certain French holidays.
The Opera Garnier has an impressive classic beauty, when Opera Bastille has a cold look with impersonal ambiance. Nevertheless, a performance of an performance would be pleasant".
One of the salient features of the Opera Bastille is an efficient stage capable of speedy assembly and disassembly (it seemed like seconds to us). It appeared to provide modern techniques and tools to facilitate the work of stage hands, directors and performers while at the same time allowing the public excellent viewing of the performance area.
In spite of a large imposing structure and a practical and modern building, the Opera Bastille seemed a bit anonymous.
It was built with French blue granite, glass, Chinese wood and white Italian marble, the Opera Bastille is one of the largest opera houses in the world. Some consider it distinctive because it uses identical materials for the interior and exterior of the building. It is 80 meters (approximately 800 feet) in height.