Monday, September 20, 2010

Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro/ Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro

On July 14th 1909, after four and a half years of construction, the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro was opened to the public. The project was inspired by the Paris Opera, of Charles Garnier. In 1931, the Municipal Symphonic Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro was created and celebrities such as Arturo Toscanini, Sarah Bernhardt, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Igor Stravinsky, highlighted the theater’s performances (today, it houses the Brazilian Symphonic Orchestras). In 1934, with the capacity for 1, 739 viewers, the theater became too small for the new size of the city’s population, so, a work to increase the number of places, despite its complexity, was held in three months, a record for that time. Later, with some modifications, it acquired the current number of 2,361 places. In 1996, the construction of the annex building began to relief the theater due to the intense practicing and other activities throughout the year. With the annex, the choir, the orchestra and the ballet gained new rehearsal rooms. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the theater, after a remodeling that took two years and a half, last May it was reopened to the public with pomp and splendor that the occasion and the city deserve!

Em 14 de julho de 1909, depois de quatro anos e meio de obras, o Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro foi aberto ao público. O projeto foi inspirado na Ópera de Paris, de Charles Garnier. Em 1931 foi criada a Orquestra Municipal do Rio de Janeiro e celebridades tais como Arturo Toscanini, Sarah Bernhardt, Heitor Villa-Lobos e Igor Stravinsky brilharam na programação do teatro (hoje o teatro tem a sua Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira). Em 1934, com a capacidade de 1.739 espectadores, o teatro começou a ficar pequeno para a população da cidade em crescimento, então uma reforma para aumentar o número de lugares, apesar da complexidade da sua execução, foi feita em apenas três meses, um feito e tanto para a época. Mais tarde, com algumas modificações, o teatro passou a oferecer os 2.361 lugares atuais. Em 1996 um anexo foi construído para desafogar as intensas práticas do lugar, assim, o coro, a orquestra e o balé ganharam um novo espaço para os seus ensaios. Para celebrar os 100 anos do teatro, depois de uma reforma que durou dois anos e meio, em maio passado o Municipal foi reaberto ao público com “pompa e circunstância” que a ocasião e a cidade merecem!

The last picture is from Roberto M. Alves / A última foto é Roberto M. Alves

21 comments:

Luiz Sommerville Junior said...

Olá Vania ! Grande post ! Grande aqui não é sinónimo de tamanho , mas de qualidade ! Como sempre , palavras precisas, rigorosas e imagens impressionantes. Parabéns.
Tem uma bela semana.

Beijos

Vania Moreira said...

Oi Summer, obrigada!
E pra você também, parabéns pelo seu blog "Another Cha Cha Cha"!
Hi, agora eu tenho o Chapeleiro Maluco e o Jim Carrey me seguindo!!!
Bjs!

robert said...

Beautiful building or perhaps you are a great photographer ;)

San Antonio Hotel said...

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I have go through your post and found some information which play a very important role for me.
So, please keep it up with your these kinds of posts.

Thanks
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Vania Moreira said...

Hi Robert, thanks! Yes, I’m trying to improve my skills as a photographer!!! But definitely the building itself can produce amazing pics without effort!

Vania Moreira said...

Hi San Domingo Hotel! Nice to have your visit here! I’m very glad to know that my blog can really help you with its information! I try to show my city with my very personal and authorial point of views, so is rewarding for me to read any nice comment, but especially the ones that come from people that work directly with tourism! Thanks and come back again whenever you wish!

Renee said...

Such incredible architecture and design. Breathtaking! Rio will be my list for travel and sightseeing. A magnificent experience.

Vania Moreira said...

Hi Renee! Thanks for your visit and nice comment! Rio can be a good experience for those who want a vibrant holiday or for couples in honeymoon as well!

mannoy said...

You've got good shots of those buildings. I like them very much. thanks

Vania Moreira said...

Hi Mannoy, thanks! But as I said before, the building itself deserves all the credits! Wow, the theater's remodeling was really good!

Daniele Dallavecchia said...

Vania, isto é FANTÁSTICO!!!!!! Lindas demais tuas imagens!!! Eu sempre passo em frente ao teatro e páro lá para admirar. É esplêndido! Parabéns por este teu post. Nossa, vir aqui no teu blog é obrigatório para começar bem o dia; um colírio!!!!

beijos

Vania Moreira said...

Oi Daniele! Obrigada pelas suas gentis palavras, que também são ótimas para se começar o dia! Nós somos abençoadas por morar numa cidade tão linda, não é? Agora então, que a cidade tem recebido a devida atenção, por conta da Copa do Mundo e das Olimpíadas, uau! É "correr pro abraço", ehehe!!!
Bjs!

nothingprofound said...

What a magnificent building! Truly grand, in the classic style.

Vania Moreira said...

Yes Marty, it is! And we are very proud of it, especially after the last remodeling, because now everything is shinning! I like the classic style, more than the modern one! In my opinion, these buildings have History (in capital letter!) to tell us, and people need references from the past to “behave” and act better in the present…

J_on_tour said...

What an amazing building and a nice blog you have here.( visited via shared comment link to Rafael Lam)

Vania Moreira said...

Thanks J_on_tour! I tried to visit your blog, but it was not working... I'll try it again later!
Hum, good to know about this link, I'll check and thank Rafael!
Nice weekend (already!)

Vania Moreira said...

Gracias Alejandro! Me gusta muitíssimo tambien! Ao final de lo mes de outubro verei Baryshnikov bailando!!!
Saludos de Brasil!

J_on_tour said...

Thanks for your comment Vania, I've been on to blogger about the problem and they say it's one of three things, 1) I am dealing with. 2) possibly and 3) probably not ..........(widgets,test blog and outage)

Vania Moreira said...

Hi J_on_tour! I've just tried it again and guess what, I made it! Left you a msg there! ;o)

D.o.M.o said...

beautiful building ! greetings from Santiago Chile

Vania Moreira said...

Thanks for your visit, D.o.M.o!
You know, this year I intend to visit your beautiful country. I'm waiting the winter time...
Cheers from Brazil!