2 - World Performance Halls Trivia Flashcards
Learn and recognize World Performance Halls. UltimateMusicTheory.com
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La Scala, Milan, Italy - Constructed in 1778, La Scala is one of the most famous, if not the most famous, opera houses in the world. It has been home to such greats as Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi. Giuseppe Piermarini, a prominent neoclassical architect, designed La Scala. It was to replace the Royal Ducal Theater, the original home of Milan’s opera, which had burned down on the 26th of February, 1776.
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Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, Italy - The world’s oldest working theater, the Teatro di San Carlo, is located in Naples, Italy. It was commissioned by the Bourbon King Charles VII of Naples. The Teatro di San Carlo was designed by Giovanni Antonio Medrano, a military architect, and Angelo Carasale, the former theater director for the San Bartolomeo Theater. It was inaugurated on November 4th, 1737. In 1816, the theater burned down. It was redesigned by Antonio Niccolini and reconstructed within 10 months.
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Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina - The Teatro Colon, or Columbus Theater, is Argentina’s main opera house. It is located in Buenos Aires. It opened on May 25th, 1908 with Giuseppe Verdi’s Aïda. Closed from 2006 to 2010 after a decline in its immense popularity, the Colombus Theater was refurbished and reopened on May 24th, 2010. Due to the exquisite acoustics of the theater, it is considered to be one of the top five performance venues in the world.
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The Royal Opera House, London, England - In 1728, John Rich commissioned The Beggar’s Opera from John Gay. Its great success provided him with the capital needed to build the Royal Opera House. Located in Covent Garden in central London, the Royal Opera House of today has been rebuilt on two different occasions.
A terrible fire burned the original Royal Opera House down in 1808. The second was rebuilt and opened in 1809 with a performance of Macbeth. Destroyed by fire again in 1856, the Royal Opera House was rebuilt once more in 1858, and still remains today.
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The Bolshoi, Moscow, Russia - First constructed in the early 19th century, the Bolshoi, located in Moscow, Russia, is home to a variety of ballet and opera performances. The parent company of the world famous Bolshoi Ballet Academy, the theater hosts the Bolshoi Ballet and Opera, two of the world’s oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies. The Bolshoi’s image is printed on Russia’s 100-ruble banknote. Its stunning neoclassical architecture features a statue of Apollo in his chariot. It was closed in 2005. After an estimated $1.1 billion spent, the Bolshoi reopened in 2011.
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Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia - Built between 1958 and 1973, the Sydney Opera House, located in Sydney, Australia, was designed and constructed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. Among other things, it houses several venues including multiple theaters, a playhouse, cafes, a recording studio, and a restaurant and bar. The Sydney Opera House had its grand opening in 1973 with Prokofiev’s War and Peace. Its appearance was conceived to resemble a series of overlapping shells and sails, and it has a wonderful view of the open ocean.
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Paris Opéra, Paris, France - Founded in 1669 by Louis XIV, the Paris Opéra was initially known as the Académie d’Opéra, and then later officially renamed the Académie Royale de Musique. Due to the French Revolution and the founding of the Republic, the building had several name changes. Today it is known simply as the Opéra. The Opéra contains a theater suitable for both ballet and opera. Its outside walls are highly ornamented, with a grandiose dome on top of the building that was constructed in 1875.
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Opéra Royal, Versailles Court Theater, France - As a precursor to the marriage of the future King Louis XVI to Austrian princess Marie-Antoinette, Ange-Jacques Gabriel built the Opéra Royal in 1769. It served as the main theater and opera house to the Palace of Versailles. Constructed entirely of wood, the Opéra Royal was intricately painted to resemble marble with a technique known as “faux marble”. Today it is known as one of Europe’s finest 18th-century opera houses, and has a rich array of culture and history to accompany its beautiful construction.
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Vienna Staatsoper, Vienna, Austria - Built in the Neo-Renaissance style, the Vienna Staatsoper, or Vienna State Opera, began construction in 1861 and was completed in 1869. A performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni inaugurated its completion. Towards the end of World War II, the Allies’ bombs destroyed much of the opera house, although some prominent features such as its grand staircase managed to survive. It was finally reopened in 1955 with a performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio.
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Lincoln Center, New York, New York - Including a library as well as two theaters, the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts is home to the New York Philharmonic, The Metropolitan Opera, and the New York City Ballet. John D. Rockefeller raised over half of the $180 million needed to build the center. Its three buildings, the Avery Fisher Hall, the David H. Koch Theater, and the Metropolitan Opera House, were opened in 1962, 1964, and 1966 respectively.
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Boston Symphony Hall, Boston, Massachusetts - Home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, the Boston Symphony Hall is considered to be one of the finest concert halls in existence. The hall was constructed with the help of the Harvard Physics Department, who provided the latest in scientifically proven acoustic properties. Regardless of where one sits during a performance, the sound will be ideal. The original leather chairs from its construction in 1900 still remain.
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Vienna Konzerthaus - Home to the Viennese Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Konzerthaus, or Vienna Concert House, was opened in 1913. Its architects were Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. In contrast to the traditional Musikverein, the Vienna Konzerthaus was meant to appeal to a more general public. The Vienna Konzerthaus emphasizes both tradition and innovation.
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Gewandhaus, Leipzig, Germany - The third hall to bear this name, the Gewandhaus of Leipzig, Germany is the home to the Gewandhaus Orchestra, whose roots can be traced all the way back to the early 1700s.
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Salle Pleyel, Paris, France - Located in Paris, France, the Salle Pleyel, which translates to the “Pleyel Room”, is home to the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. The hall underwent major restoration between 2002 and 2006, with acoustics improved and seat count dropping from 2,400 to 1,913.
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Semperoper, Dresden, Germany - Built by the architect Gottfried Semper in 1841, the Semperoper is located in Dresden, Germany. It is home to the Saxon State Opera and Saxon State Orchestra. The Semperoper boasts a long list of distinguished premieres including works from Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.
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Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom - Celebrated for its exceptional acoustics and intimate atmosphere, London’s Wigmore Hall specializes in chamber music and song performance. Built between 1899 and 1901, its Renaissance design features walls of alabaster and marble. It currently promotes 400 concerts a year, in addition to broadcasting weekly concerts that garner hundreds of thousands of listeners.
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Royal Albert Hall, London, England - Opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall in London, England has been host to over 150,000 different events. It has been dubbed “The Nation’s Village Hall”. Its first performance was that of Arthur Sullivan’s cantata On Shore and Sea on May 1st of 1871.
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Cadogan Hall, London, United Kingdom - Originally a Christian Science Church completed in 1907, Cadogan Hall of London, England has a 900 seat capacity. It is home to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
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Barbican Centre, London, England - Located in London, the Barbican Centre is home to the London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Featuring an unusual concrete ziggurat design, the Barbican was once voted “London’s ugliest building” in a September 2003 poll. It was designed by modernist architectural firm Chamberlin, Powell and Bon.
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Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, France - The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, located in Paris, France, was opened in 1913. It was designed by Auguste Perret. It was built to provide contemporary music, dance, and opera. The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées held the world premiere of the Rite of Spring, by the world-famous Russian Ballets.
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Bayreuth Festspielhaus, Bayreuth, Germany - The Bayreuth Festspielhaus, or Bayreuth Festival Theatre, is an opera house in Bayreuth, Germany designed solely for the operas of 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner. It was specifically built for the annual Bayreuth Festival. For its opening in 1876, the complete four-opera cycle of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) was premiered.
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Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy - Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the Parco della Musica of Rome, Italy was officially opened in December of 2002. During its construction, excavations unearthed the foundations of a villa and oil press dating back to the 6th century B.C.. Piano redesigned the building to include a small museum to display the uncovered artifacts.
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Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the Concertgebouw was opened in April of 1888. Its inauguration performance included pieces by Handel, Bach, Beethoven and Wagner. Although its construction was originally aimed at the late Romantic repertoire such as Mahler, rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Who performed there in the 1960s.
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Carnegie Hall, New York City, New York - Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, Carnegie Hall is one of the last buildings in New York built solely of masonry. Mr. Carnegie paid for its entire construction. Its official opening was on May 5th, 1891.
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Symphony Center, Chicago, Illinois - Home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Sinfonietta, the Symphony Center of Chicago, Illinois was completed in 1904. Designed by architect Daniel Burnham, it was built specifically as a home for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
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Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California - Home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California was opened in October of 2003. As a gift to Los Angeles, and as a tribute to her late husband Walt Disney’s devotion to the city and the arts, Lilian Disney gifted $50 milion in 1987 to build the performance hall.
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Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, New York - Home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kleinhans Music Hall of Buffalo, New York was opened in 1940. Since 1989 it has been declared a National Historic Landmark and is praised as one of the most superb concert halls ever built.
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Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Japan - Opened on October 12, 1986, the Suntory Hall, located in Tokyo, Japan, consists of the “Main Hall” and “Small Hall”. It was opened in commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of whiskey production and twentieth of that of beer by Suntory, a Japanese brewery and distillery.
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Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, Ontario - Located in Toronto, Ontario and home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Roy Thomson Hall was designed by Canadian architects Arthur Erickson and Mathers and Haldenby, and opened in 1982. It is one of the main venues used by the Toronto International Film Festival, and seats 2,630 patrons. It features a pipe organ built by Canadian organ builder Gabriel Kney of London, Ontario.
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National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Canada - Designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2006, the National Arts Centre located in Ottawa, Canada was designed by Fred Lebensold, and based off of the triangle and hexagon. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in Canada. It is home to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, considered one of the world’s leading classical-size orchestras.
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Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico - Located on the west side of the historic center of Mexico City, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, or Palace of Fine Arts, is the cultural center of Mexico City. It is most widely known for its murals by Diego Rivera, Siqueiros, and others, as well as the many exhibitions and theatrical performances it hosts, including the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.
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Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul, South Korea - The largest arts and cultural complex in Seoul, South Korea, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1978, and contains many different halls, theaters, and centers. These include a main auditorium, a minor hall, multiple art galleries, a convention center, and a collaboration of traditional Korean housings called Sam Chung Gak.
