Vienna State Opera

For many, an evening at the opera brings to mind elegantly dressed audience members striding down plushly-carpeted corridors to take their seats in a gilded hall before the curtain rises on golden-voiced singers. Though it perhaps sounds more like a dream than reality, the world’s best opera houses are actually highly accessible, with many offering inexpensive ticket schemes or standing room. Here are the world’s top-notch opera houses, guaranteed to deliver an enriching experience from arrival to final encore.
Founded by Louis XIV in 1669, the Opéra National de Paris is housed in both the modern Opera Bastille and in the Palais Garnier. Though the latter is primary used for ballet, it is by far the more famous of the two buildings due to the frescos on its ceiling by Marc Chagall and its renown as the setting for Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera. The Opera Bastille, which opened in 1989, strikes an impressive chord with its square patterns wrapping around a curved wall of glass. The art on display in the Opera is no less varied than the architecture, with artworks dating from the Baroque to the 21st century.
Palais Garnier, 8 Rue Scribe, 75009, Paris, +33 01 71 25 24 23
Opéra Bastille, Place de la Bastille 75012 Paris, +33 892 89 90 90
Known by its nickname ‘The Met’ to many, the Metropolitan Opera is the United States’ powerhouse of classical singing. The company resides at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and offers a rotating repertoire Monday through to Saturday every week. The Met was the first to broadcast opera over the radio in 1910 and continues to pioneer new uses of digital technology in opera. The company presents new productions as well as revivals, and by using directorial and visual styles which range from the traditional to the avant-garde the Met ensures it offers something for everyone.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, +1 212-362-6000
The Berlin State Opera tops the list of the numerous opera companies in the German capital city, and indeed in the entire country. Originally the court opera associated with the German monarchy, it became the state opera of the East German Democratic Republic from 1949-1990. The company’s permanent home on the monumental Unter den Linden street is currently undergoing renovations, but they continue to offer their daily operatic programming featuring the world’s foremost singers and conductors from the Schiller Theater. Their numerous concerts for children also make them an ideal afternoon destination for families with little ones.
Berlin State Opera, Unter den Linden 7, 10117 Berlin, Germany, +49 0 30 20 35 40
Schiller Theater, Bismarckstraße 110, 10625 Berlin, +49 0 30 20 35 40