Teatro Colón

The Teatro Colón opened in 1908 after two decades of construction and three architects, and it has been ranked among the finest concert halls in the world ever since, praised by conductors and singers for acoustics that come from its horseshoe shape, its wood and plaster surfaces and its great dome. The interior is deliberately overwhelming: a marble entrance hall with stained glass, a golden hall modelled on Versailles, and an auditorium of seven levels in red and gold seating some 2,400 people, with a ceiling painted in the 1960s by Raúl Soldi. Guided tours run through the day in several languages and take in the halls, the auditorium and parts of the workshops, where sets, costumes, shoes and wigs are still made in house.

History

The first Teatro Colón, designed by Charles Pellegrini on the Plaza de Mayo, opened on 27 April 1857 with La traviata, only four years after its Italian premiere, and closed on 13 September 1888 to make way for a new house. The cornerstone of the present theatre, on the site of the country's first railway station facing Plaza Lavalle, was laid in 1889 to a design by Francesco Tamburini and his pupil Vittorio Meano, but the crisis of 1890, Tamburini's death in 1891, Meano's murder in 1904 and the death of its backer Angelo Ferrari held it up, until the Belgian architect Julio Dormal completed it with French-style decoration. It opened on 25 May 1908, the national day, with Aida, and its first season of seventeen operas brought singers such as Titta Ruffo and Feodor Chaliapin (Wikipedia, Teatro Colón).

What's there

• The auditorium - seven tiers of red and gold beneath the painted dome.
• The Golden Hall - the mirrored, gilded reception room off the main staircase.
• The entrance hall - marble, stained glass and the grand staircase.
• The workshops - the in-house set, costume and scenery departments on tours.

When to go

The season runs roughly March to November; tours operate year-round but parts close during rehearsals. Booking tours online avoids queues. Performance tickets range from expensive stalls to very cheap standing places high up.

Things to know

Tours are busy and move quickly, and access depends on what is being rehearsed that day. The upper cheap seats have restricted views, though the sound is famously good everywhere. Photography rules vary by area.

Nearby

Avenida 9 de Julio and the Obelisco are steps away; the historic centre lies east.

Key facts