Declared a National Historical Monument in 1989, the Teatro Colón is not only the country's main opera house, but one of the most renowned theatres in the world
The Teatro Colón has a huge flaw; its acoustics are perfect. Imagine what that means for a singer. If you do something wrong, it's immediately noticeable’, this is was how the Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti defined it, on one of his several visits to Argentina. He was not the only one who praised the sound quality of this palatial venue inaugurated in 1908, its legend was built and validated by conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, Zubin Mehta and Daniel Barenboim; composers such as Igor Stravinsky and Richard Strauss; singers such as María Callas, Plácido Domingo and Claudia Muzio; and dancers such as Rudolf Nureyev, Anna Pavlova, Mijail Barishnikov, and Vaslav Nijinsky, among several other figures who have taken this stage over more than a century of glory. From the Vienna Philharmonic to the New York Symphony, the most important figures in the world of opera, symphonic and chamber music have performed here.
Jewel of universal architecture
The exceptional acoustics and architectural conditions of its building place it on a par with theatres such as the Paris Opera, the Scala in Milan, the Vienna Opera or the Metropolitan in New York. It is a majestic construction inaugurated in 1908, whose design boasts all the European palatial splendour to which the thriving and elegant Buenos Aires of the time was attached. Its lines synthesize the architectural rules and trends of the time. It is not possible to speak of a single defined style, but of an eclecticism that was typical of the construction of the early 20th century. The entrance hall is clad in Verona marble and marble-like stucco. The staircase is made of white Carrara marble and the surrounding banisters are made of Portuguese marble. On either side of the foot of the staircase, the banisters end in two lion heads carved by hand in complete pieces.
The magical enclosure
The horseshoe-shaped main hall meets the highest standards of classical Italian and French theatre. The floor plan is lined with boxes up to the third floor. The horseshoe has a smaller diameter of 29,25 metres, a larger diameter of 32,65 metres and a height of 28 metres. It has a total capacity of 2,478 seats, but around 500 people can also watch the shows standing. The 318-square-metre dome used to have paintings by Marcel Jambon, which deteriorated in the 1960s. In 1966 it was decided that the dome would be repainted and the work was commissioned to the Argentinean painter Raúl Soldi, who inaugurated it in 1966.
Guided tours every day
The Teatro Colón keeps secrets in every corner and to live the experience of a guided tour is to know a portion of its history of more than one hundred years at the service of Argentine and world culture. In the Sala, in the Main Foyer, in the Galería de Bustos and in the Salón Dorado the visitor can feel the intoxicating effect of a fascinating setting and an atmosphere full of legend. The sculptures, the stained glass lights seem to be saying something.
Schedule
Guided tours are available every day, except 1 May, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. The tours are every 15 minutes from Monday to Sunday, from 10 am. to 4 pm.
Tour
Foyer, Galería de Bustos, Salón Dorado and Main Room. Logically, the circuit may be affected by events, performances, rehearsals, refurbishments or other activities of the theatre.
Duration:50 minutes.
Capacity:34 people.