Opera
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Opéra Garnier

The Opéra National de Paris has two homes, the original Palais Garnier, place de l'Opéra, 9^e (M° Opéra), and the Opéra Bastille, 120 rue de Lyon, 12^e (M° Bastille), Mitterrand's most extravagant legacy to the city, which opened, with all due pomp, in 1989. Its first years however were far from easy; it was beset from the start by politico-musical wranglings resulting in a series of resignations, including that of Daniel Barenboim as musical director, followed soon after by the dismissal of Rudolph Nureyev from the same post. His successor, the relatively unknown South Korean, Myung Whun Chung (now successfully directing the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France), proved to be a controversial though popular musical director, but was sacked by the new chief, Hughes Gall. Things do at last seem to be settling down and there's been a period of stability under the current musical director James Conlon.

It's taken Parisians a while to warm to their new opera house, a rather bloated construction that completely dominates the place de la Bastille. The building hasn't worn particularly well either: the facade has started to crumble in places and unsightly netting holds bits of it in place. Opinions differ over the acoustics, but the stage is certainly well designed and allows the auditorium uninterrupted views. Under the baton of James Conlon, productions have been critically acclaimed and very popular – booking well in advance is recommended. Whether the new opera house has succeeded in bringing "opera to the masses", as was Mitterrand's vision, is debateable, but tickets are certainly reasonably priced.

The restored, lavish Palais Garnier is generally used for smaller-scale productions and ballets. It may not enjoy the high-tech facilities of the Bastille and views from some of the side seats can be very poor, but an evening in this glittering palace is unforgettable.

Tickets (€10–109) for operas at both venues can be booked Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm on 08.36.69.78.68 at least four weeks in advance, via the Internet (www.opera-de-paris.fr) from three months to three days in advance, or at the ticket office (Mon–Sat 11am–6.30pm) within two weeks of the performance – the number of tickets available by this stage however is limited and people start queuing at 9am, if not earlier. Unfilled seats are sold at a discount to students five minutes before the curtain goes up. For programme details, have a look at their website or call the above number.

The Bastille opera house enjoys a friendly rivalry with the Théâtre Musical de Paris, part of the Théâtre du Châtelet, which also stages large-scale opera productions. In addition, occasional operas and concerts by solo singers are hosted by the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Solo singers are guests at the Salle Favart (Opéra Comique), which also puts on daring classic and modern operas and musicals. Both opera and recitals are sometimes staged at the multipurpose performance halls.