The Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro on Cinelândia square was inaugurated on 14 July 1909 by President Nilo Peçanha. It was part of the urban renewal led by Mayor Pereira Passos; his son Francisco de Oliveira Passos won the competition with a design inspired by Charles Garnier's Paris Opera, assisted by Albert Guilbert. The eclectic building was decorated by Eliseu Visconti, who painted the drop curtain and ceilings, by Rodolfo Amoedo and by the Bernardelli brothers. Originally built for 1,739 spectators, the auditorium was enlarged in 1934 and today has 2,361 seats. The theatre was restored from 1975 to 1978, and work on an annex for rehearsals began in 1996. Its resident companies are the orchestra, chorus and ballet of the Theatro Municipal; in the basement is the Assírius restaurant with its Assyrian decor.
The marble for the building came by ship from Europe across the Atlantic — as with the Teatro Amazonas, Brazil's Belle Époque displayed its wealth through imported splendour.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
More venues in Brazil
- Teatro Amazonas · Opera house, Manaus
- Theatro Municipal São Paulo · Opera house, São Paulo