The Palais Garnier, the grand neo-baroque building, is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built between 1861 and 1875 for the Paris Opera by architect Charles Garnier on the orders of Napoleon III. The theatre ,the Academie Nationale de Musique , was often referred to as the Opéra Garnier, the Opéra de Paris or simply the Opéra. Today the Paris Opera (Palais Garnier) hosts ballet dance performances and classical music concerts, and occassionally an opera. More often, operas in Paris are performed at the Opera Bastille. The Palais Garnier is probably the most famous opera house in the world. This is at least partly due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux's 1911 novel The Phantom of the Opera and the novel's subsequent adaptations in films and Andrew Lloyd Weber's popular 1986 musical.

Pissarro , Avenue de l'Opéra

Louis Marie Schryver The flower seller, Avenue de l'Opéra

Cortes Edouard Leon, Avenue de l'Opéra, Paris

Joaquin Pallares y Allustante, L'Opéra, Paris

Louis Marie de Schyver , La Marchande des Fleurs, Avenue de l'Opéra, Paris

Poetry Harmony

Harmony Charles Gumery

Poetry Charles Gumery

On the corners there are two magnificent bronze sculptures of Fame Holding Pegasus by the Bridle by Eugène-Louis Lequesne.

Frank Myres , l'Opéra Paris

Apollo, Poetry, and Music Aimé Millet

I wonder if N stands for Noemi 

Napoléon Empereur ! Napoleon Emperor !

Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas. His best-known operas include the Italian comedies Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) , La Cenerentola , the French-language epics Moïse et Pharaon and Guillaume Tell (William Tell).

Daniel Auber was a French composer Daniel Auber was a French composer. He achieved big triumph with the opera La muette de Portici, also known as Masaniello.

Beethoven, born in Bonn, was the most famous composer of his time, and considered the greatest composer of all times by many. He wrote nine symphonies, five piano and one violin concertos, and a variety of other orchestral music, such as overtures and incidental music, chamber music and one opera, Fidelio .

Mozart ,the great Austrian composer, wrote over 600 works ,including operas. Some operas he composed: Don Giovanni , Marriage of Figaro, Escape from Seraglio, Cosi Fan Tutte, Magic Flute.

An Italian opera composer and conductor, extremely celebrated in his time, though largely forgotten after his death.

A noted German opera composer. At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe.

A French composer, the son of a cantor A French composer, the son of a cantor. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive / The Jewess.

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux Lyrical Drama, Jean-Joseph Perraud, The Dance, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

Garnier unveiled the facade sculptures in July, 1869 and The Dance caused an immediate public outcry. People accused the work of indecency and poor taste.

Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume Instrumental Music, Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume Harmony, François Jouffroy

Medallions with the heads of Cimarosa, Haydn, Pergolesi and Bach Drama Song Idyll Cantata

Back of the Opera

?Hidden treasures - Fromental Halevy - La juive (1835) - Selected highlights (Act III, IV & V)?‏ - YouTube ?Meyerbeer - Le Proph?te - Coronation March?‏ - YouTube ?Spontini Olimpia Overture?‏ - YouTube ?Daniel Auber - La muette de Portici - "Amis, le soleil va paraitre" (Alfredo Kraus)?‏ - YouTube ?Mozart-The Marriage of Figaro?‏ - YouTube ?Fidelio Overture Beethoven?‏ - YouTube ?Gioachino Rossini : The Barber Of Seville - Overture?‏ - YouTube Photos :£iviu All the photos of the paintings are from the net and credit goes to their original owner Music : Meyerbeer - Le Prophète - Coronation March Info : Wikipedia January 13, 2012