Odessa Opera House Blog

In round niches of the upper floor on the front of the building the busts of Alexander Pushkin, Alexander Griboyedov, Nikolai Gogol and Mikhail Glinka. They represent something, which was built in the name of the theater – poetry, drama, comedy and music. Above the sculptures worked masters F. Netali, F. Friedl, F. Ethel, L. Stritskius.

The auditorium of the Odessa Opera House is decorated in the style of the late French rococo, decorated with stucco ornamentation with the finest gold. The main ornamental motif – sink in the form of curls of different shapes. Figure ornamentation never repeated. Overall abundance of marble, velvet, crystal shining, glittering mirrors and gilding.

The main facade of the theater has a semi-oval shape with two side wings, from which magnificent staircase begins. The front part of the building is divided by columns and pilasters and a balcony, located in the center of the narrow two-tier portal.

The front side of the theater performed in the Viennese baroque. Externally, the building consists of three floors. Sunrooms first two columns decorated with a Tuscan order. These stories form a whole and look fundamentally, giving the structure a static view. The third floor is a light, delicate, with a careful study of details. Thanks to the many arched loggias, columns and pilasters of the Ionic order, he balances the gravity of the lower floors. Additional effects in the architectural appearance of the theater make sophisticated portico and domed roof. As a result of the construction like floating above the ground.

Above the facade stands a group of sculptures depicting the patron of theatrical art muse Melpomene in a chariot drawn by four furious panthers (allegory: a power of art is able to subdue the beastly savagery).

Portico crowned two sculptures that embody the music and dance of the left – Orpheus playing the cithara centaur, right – Muse Terpsichore dance girl teaches her art. On the pediment of the portico of the Roman numerals are given a few dates: in the first line MDCCCL # # -MDCCCL # # – the years of beginning and end of the construction of the theater (1884 – 1887). The second line contains the phrase «ardebat anno», indicating a fire in 1925. Then comes MCMLXVII date (1967) and the word «restitutum» ( «restored») as a reminder of the restoration work in the theater.

One of the most famous monuments of the world culture, the business card of the city. The Opera House in its beauty is on a par with the famous Vienna Opera and other pearls of European architecture. By rating of the magazine "Forbes" theater building on the list of 11 most interesting sights of Eastern Europe (2008).

In the guise of Odessa through the features of many cities in the world, but it manages to maintain its unique and unmistakable appearance.

This city is based on the Black Sea in 1794 – not a copy, but the synthesis, the result of a merger of cultures, customs, manners and temperament. By the will of the people who built it Odessa has absorbed all the experience of Urbanism, accumulated by mankind in the beginning of XIX century. Odessa compared with Paris as early as 1810, and thirty years later, was called one of the richest and most beautiful cities in Europe.

The architectural appearance of the Odessa Opera House is an eclectic Italian Renaissance and the Vienna Baroque, classical baroque and rococo style but all components are organically connected, and create a coherent composition.

Modern Odessa opera and ballet theater appeared in 1887. The main aim was to create big, modern and safe theater for needs of contemporary city. That’s why city proclaimed competition for the best opera house project. As a result, 30 projects took part in competition, but none of them didn’t get first place. Afterwards, separate design created austrians architects and the jury gave him preference
Architects and architecture
Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer were the architects, who designed Odessa Opera House. In their firm worked more than 20 architects and the main directions of their work was development projects of theaters, banks, hotels and other elite buildings. According to their projects were built about 200 buildings in Europe, that include architectural styles of Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau. In addition, Fellner and Helmer built 48 theaters throughout Europe. Two of them are in Ukraine

Odessa Opera House is one of the most remarkable point of interest in Ukraine. At the same time, Opera theater is a heart of Odessa and its main attraction. In any time of the year, one can visit the theater and enjoy opera or ballet performances. The Opera located at the beginning of Rishelievskaya street – tourist area of old city.
First opera house in Odessa appeared in 1809. The young, quickly developing city, constructed opera building for being a cultural center of region. Having totally different architecture forms, first opera house was in the same place as modern one. Having served more than 60 years, the first opera theater burned by accident. Right after this event, city government started to decide, what to build instead of losted one.

What are these dates?
At the top of the main façade, the frieze contains important information. There, the date of construction of the theater (1884-1887) and the date of reconstruction (1967) are encrypted in Roman numerals. It is also written that the theater was "burning". It is worth saying that the current theater is the second opera house in Odessa. The first was built in 1804-1809. designed by architect Tom de Tomon, was repeatedly rebuilt and burned down on January 1, 1873 due to an unextinguished oil lamp.
Fact 2. Who is riding in a chariot there?

We look at the very top and see a chariot drawn by a quadriga (four) of panthers. It jumps to the muse of Melpomene's tragedy. On the left you can see a mask symbolizing tragedy, a torch as a symbol of the unquenchable fire of art, and with her right hand she greets the audience.

Melpomene was one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. The muse often appeared with a bandage on his head, in a wreath of grape leaves or ivy.

Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is the first theater in Odessa in terms of construction, significance and fame [1] [2]. The first building was opened in 1810 and burned down in 1873. The modern building was built in 1887 by architects Fellner and Helmer in the style of the new Viennese Baroque. The interior of the auditorium is styled after the architecture of late French Rococo. The unique acoustics of the horseshoe-shaped hall allows you to bring even a whisper from the stage to any corner of the hall. The complete restoration of the theater building was completed in 2007.