Royal Opera House in Covent Garden could be the most vivid memory of the end of my stay in London.
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I think I must be madly in love with opera, ballet and all those splendid elements, there will always be excuses for me to visit Royal Opera House 2-3 times each week, to enjoy all the charm and magic.
It was great timing for moving to London.
Since the Septembre in 2018, thanks to the renovation and innovation of the interior design, for the first time, Royal Opera House allows the public to visit every day from 10:00 am, makes it become more friendly to the citizen.
Yes, listening to the operas and watching ballet shows are the main purpose of visiting an opera house.
Living in London, you can find out how Londoners love to go to watch a show every week, tickets are usually sold out within weeks. I would also find some excuses to spoil myself: Christmas, New Year, finishing an essay or celebrating a birthday.
However, the deeper one’s love is, the stronger the desire of creating a further relationship there would be.
Not just for watching the show.》
The original form of the Royal Opera House had already been on this site in Covent Garden in the 18th century, the abundant history background had made this place full of secrets.
Before watching a show, I love to book the insights of the work, learning the story behind the show, or the anecdote back in the centuries; sometimes, I can even hear about the combination between ballet and fashion. With a tiny notebook and a pen in my hand, after each talk, I can always fill the pages with the notes, fulfil my endless curiosity.
But the thing that teases me the most, must be the mysterious backstage and designing stories behind that dazzling front stage and auditorium room.
I had ordered the tour tickets in early June. With the tour date become nearer, looking at the tickets on my table, I had become more and more exciting.
Since there will be 10% for each purchase with the ticket on that day, I ordered a cup of hot mint tea and brownie to warm up my stomach- it’s June already; yet, sometimes it is still so chilly.
I quickly finished my dessert and came to the meeting in front of the burgundy gown worn by Maria Callas in 1964 for《Tosca》, the sign wrote:
＂Tour meeting point＂
David was my tour guide for the tours these two times, what a friendly and humourous chubby man he is.
Tales of the auditorium.》
We were lucky to encounter the light rehearsal of 《Carmen》, which made the lights in the auditorium is darker than the usual.
Though David reminded us not to take the photos of the stage and the staffs, it was still a precious experience to observe their working process before the show.
After all, my brain is always a better camera than all the machines.
Our short journy this afternoon started with the amphitheatre on the 6th floor.
“My dear friends who have acrophobia, all I can say is… you’ll be having a short tough time.” David beeped the key with a tricky smile on his face.
There are up to 900 seats in this highest point of the Royal Opera House. Looking down from the almost 90-degree slope of the amphitheatre, I could feel that my palms were sweating.
People have been considering red carpet as a sign of royal and formal; but, inside the auditorium, we could only see the light brown oak tree floor.
What I never knew before was that the oak tree floor could sharpen every sound happening on the stage: the voice of the opera singer, the violin strings from the orchestra and even the landing sound when the ballerinas are galloping.
David proudly told us, none of the performance in the Royal Opera House uses a microphone; nonetheless, you can still hear each magnificent sound clearly from the last row of the amphitheatre. If the carpet were placed on the floor, then it would absorb the voices.
Later on, we came to the balcony.
The fantasy and the gilt.》
Here in the balcony, is where most of the lighting props are. We sat in the wing of the balcony, which allowed us to closely watched the staffs of the lighting rehearsal and the delicate ceiling.
Withing this crimson and golden auditorium room, the ceiling is in the fresh sky blue.
With the sparkling decoration, this ceiling means a boundless starry sky.
There is an exquisite Queen Victoria frieze designed in 1858. The figures of mythology next to the head of Queen Victoria mean the music and the words.
I adore how they use arts to represent the whole glamorous opera house.
These lights which look like groups of mushrooms were gas lights back in the 19th and 20th century.
Maybe it was because people couldn’t switch off the gas lights easily like how we switch off the lights today. The auditorium room was always so bright during that time.
In such a bright opera house, people could always see the boxes in front of them.
Watching the show wasn’t the main purpose for the audience back in the days. The audiences were here to observe what were other people wearing today, with who and to do what.
David laughed.
Watching the show with Queen Vitoria》
Under David’s leads, we came to the grand tier on the second floor.
This part of the seats is as prestigious as the front part of the orchestra stalls, as known as the “royal box”. Looking at the other corner of the grand tier, one box 63 was with a light on. It was the exclusive box for Queen Victoria. In the box, the Royal Opera House also preserves her royal armchairs.
David shared another anecdote. Queen Victorian usually watched the show with the citizen here; but, according to the etiquette, everyone should always face the queen, which interfere them from watching the screen (or the people in front of them).
That’s why, there was a mirror in Queen’s box, in order to allow her to watch the show from the reflection and the citizens.
Queen Victoria’s box has the marvellous view of the amphitheatre, viewing everything from the stage, orchestra room and the entire auditorium room.
Finally, we were at the orchestra stalls. When I come for the show, I always enjoying seating here and staring at the whole ceiling. Observing the Royal Opera House from this angle creates an enchanting feeling, feels like I am embraced by a fascinating magic.
Although I have been here for more than 10 times, this place never fails to amaze me with its spectacular and glory.
Royal Opera House Auditorium Tour
Bow Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2E 9DD
Box office ：
+44 (0)20 7304 4000
Opening hour：
Monday to Saturday 10：00～20：00
