The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-10
THE GRAND OPERA IN PARIS.
Its Construction, Interior Arrangement
and Cost.
The Paris correspondent of the London Tell

The Paris correspondent of the London Tec-
graph writes:
Yesterday paid visit TO the interior OF the new
Grand Opera Paris as yet OF course an architectu-
raj chaos and hardly revealing its future glorles
TO eXoteric eyes. Most OF your readers nave seen
the grand mass Of Haussmannic conception.
used to dislike it, but it has grown on parls, anu
if you walk down the Rue Louis le Grana you wuI
see facade, and behind it q theatre, never YET
euuaed in Europe. remember being conducted
with solemn awe to the Scala, and with hushed
reverence to San Carlo. / had even then seen
theatres and was disappointed, as every one VINO
goes to see anything after twenynv'e t 'oona %
to the actual dimensions OF those two theatres, it
seems to me that you might pack them up and
carry them home in the parterres OF the new
Grand Opera Of Paris. What that edifce has cost
and will cost is nothing to the readers or to the
writer Of this letter. Do they know what the
Crimean war cost? the Indian mutlny or the
Abyssinian expedition No. Well, then, we have
our own little expeditions; and say WIN Lever
"SflenCe q III mort ~
To build over quicksand is not good plan,
and certainly is not cheap one. Inere is
tower in London-not the Tower; who cares Tor
that?-which also in early life met with very
shfty fortunes. do not say that admire the
braZen images which the architect has set up
do not like them at all; and, indeed fancy that
year; yet they glitter, and the Partisan, baskng
In the sun as he drinks his coffee and water, says
to friend from the country who pays, "6ehoiu, .
my cousin, that is 1ne.' do not think so, put
are to walk into their places by the grandest en-,
trance, that which faces the site whereon stood
the Rue de la Pax before it was 'shuhted right
about half turn. If you are to Judge
from from the "' entrance which admits you to
your seat you must anticipate something mag
nifcent. Crossing the Grand Place de rOpera,
you, cheap walking, stallsolng person. noun
staircase worthy Of Venice, and go through gal
leries In which you need not be sifocated be-
tween the acts, either 10 pit. upper boxes or gal
lery. II was objected that the entrances were low
and narrow. They are not the latter; and, as Tor
the height man of six feet two, with his cane,
could scarcely touch the top. Round the build
ing corridor, open in summer, closed in winter
to the north, the carriage entrance, under cover
Of which comes the general public, and that COM
posite body will drive up TO its stalls and boxes
through arcades, which will remind the younger
male mind Of Burlington. So far as We could
Judge, the rest OF the starcases will be perfect.
But "Halt-what have we hereT 'Tis the en-
trance OF the Emperor and the Empress, and is
truly imperial. From l0g0id we see it-a grand
gallery, which in hot weather will allow all the
upper boxes to lounge out OF their places, smoke
in the open air, watch those who come and go,
and look down on that vista which will lead TO
the Theatre Francois. The imperial box is enter
ed by a somewhat heavy gateway, which, from
above gives rather the effect that its occupants
had better get out and walk; but once that they
have threaded the eye Of the needle they are IN.
deed in a broad way which leads to suit OF
rooms unequaed, should say, In any theatre
in Europe, and who says Europe; says vs.. .he
| pledge you my word that 1t is as big as
one Of the loggie OF the Vatican. Years ago the
foyer Of Paris theatre was an institutlon-per-
hans the oeduI jOurS will return with more
space. We pass through miles OF passages Of
brick and stone buildings-walls as thick rs any
have ever seen in easements, anu on when
am sure the enemy, armed with the largest musl-
vr-gl
and we inspect the boxes. They are very nice.
By the way, officialsm here Is carried TO the very
extreme OF the tape. friend OF mine mace
note 1t was, believe, to the effect that the
"grand groups" outside are not solid, but in de-
tached blocks; that hence Harmony has nav on
her throat and Composition line across her
brow, which is true. ut Is entirely forbidden to
make notes here" was announced NOW IN a
beseged fortress one can understand this; In an
unopened theatre one says, 1t is excessive eau
tion. | am quite sure that none OF our party
four poor pilgrims from distant nIo ,Isn,i LANDS,
had the least idea, even If we had
the means, which, indeed, Judging individually, |
doubt Of building an opposition Grand opera Ia
any capital in Europe But must go PACK W
dressing rooms Of the ladies and gentlemen, and
were charmed. Then we went to see the theatre
itself. "why, 1t is not so big as the olympic y
was the cry. Yet am told 1t Is little larger,
even; nay It is even bigger than the now existing
Grand Opera OF Paris, being capable, IN TACT, OF
Containing three hundred persons more-"and
they will all be comfortable" was SAID py our
very taciturn guide. Now the present house con-
tains 1850, and they are certainly not all 'com
fortable.n Standing with your face to the stage
the impression would be, think, that you hau
traversed miles Of massive masonry, CLIMBED up
many stairs, gone through long lines OF passages,
merely to see very handsome but small tneatre.
II is only when you pass on to the stage you dis
cover the enormous size Of the building the heigiit,
width and depth Of the actual stage lsteli,
and the vast space which Is not seen from iie tue
promise OF the outside ~ What wonderful spec.
tacles will our sons see on that vast scene; and
when the whole pit, stage and back back-stsge s are
boarded over for the bal nlaSQiteS, what sght IL
will be There is only one epthet Tor the SIZE OF
the stage, and that Is "yast." You must under
stand too. distinctly that the theatre only seems
small, while it is very large; and l suppose that,
as there is limit to the human voice divine, so
there must be q limit TO the size OF theatre. Adj
joining the stage and in the old Rue Neuve des
Mathurius, is the library OF the theatre-very
large, as IL needs be- to contain all the manu-.
scripts and printed music Of O national opera OF
so long standing The building itself looks as II
intended to last as long as the monuments OF
Rome, and will give very distant New zealanaer
q fine chance OF sketch.
Fire. too would be- should say. an impossi-
bility there being, literally, nothing 10 burn; pus
certainly what most strikes the unaccusloineu
eye is the immense mass OF stoneworK, the long
range Of supplementary passages ana stairs ne
cessary to form a theatre. They cover between
seven and eight English acres OF ground. We
were taken in at the back or workmen's entrance,
where we saw two Egyptian columns, not in good
taste, and much too small, which are TO auoTn
the actors entrance; and then we were gradually
brought back TO the place where we had entered
and were thence dismissed to our breakfasts.
They said, but it has been almost contra
dicted, that the 18th Of November would
see the whole Of the outer works finished,
and that on the 18th OF August, 1879, tne
house would be opened. The first anticipa-
ton is probable, but doubt the possibility Of the
second. Inside there is nothing but the rough,
bare stones and the cement which binds them.
have necessarily given you very imperfect idea
OF the interior Of the Grand Opera, but an archi-
tect alone could describe the coming theatre from
the existing shell. AS for statistics, they are
quite tabooed; they will not show you model or
plan, and the conStgne Of the man in uniform
who is toled off to conduct you over the structure
1t is rather like visiting q vast Herculaneum-is
"to answer no questions"
Strangers are admitted with great difficulty
and never more than three are allowed to enter
with one card. No doubt they fear the crowd Of
native ,ganeurS,