Much of the wealth of
Manaus came from its days as the region's major port city during the rubber
boom.
That era was also known for its beautiful architecture - and a fine
example of that Belle Epoque style of the late 1800s is Manaus' opera house,
the Teatro Amazonas.
The Teatro Amazonas
was built between 1884 and 1896 and is a showcase of furnishings imported from
far-off places like France and Italy, including nearly 200 Italian chandeliers
and a painted curtain from Paris.
The opera house's incredible dome is covered
with 36,000 tiles painted in the colors of the Brazilian flag.
The first ever
performance in the Teatro Amazonas was the opera "La Gioconda" in
January of 1897.
When the rubber boom dwindled, the theater lost
its wealthy patrons and actually shut down for 90 years.
In
2001 the government invested millions in renovations, and today the
700-seat Teatro Amazonas is home to the Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestra
and an annual Amazonas Opera Festival.
It
is on the San Sebastian Square (Praça São Sebastião) in downtown
Manaus, and visitors can either go on a guided tour of the theater
when it's not in use, or consult the schedule to check out one of the many
free performances.
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