For those who suffer from what Cocteau called the "red-and-gold disease," relief is found only in the glittery, cavernous darkness of an opera house. Yet one does not always enter what Jean Harlow would have called a "rafeened" atmosphere. To be sure, the opera house serves up the food of the gods, but blood sport is also part of its history. Maria Callas herself was booed many times. Someone once threw a bunch of old radishes at her feet, and the myopic diva, thinking they were flowers, picked them up and caressed her cheek with them. Then there's the Italian tenor who cracked on a high B-flat and was heckled until he emerged from the wings on his knees, arms outstretched, imploring forgiveness.
Opera houses were built not only for the delectation of opera buffs and balletomanes, but also as urban temples to the romance of music and the magic of stage illusion. In selecting what I would call today's 10 best, I have consulted only my own highly colored opinions. (Several of the most beautiful historic houses have been omitted because they are undergoing reconstructionâ??London's Royal Opera House, La Fenice in Venice, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona among them.) I'm lucky enough to make my living writing about music and dance, and sometimes when I travel, the opera house is the only thing I see.
Read Full Article »