Seattle Opera : A complete review

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Seattle Opera : A complete review
29th June, 2008

For the second section devoted to the Seattle Opera, ResMusica you discover the building itself opened in 2003, its facade, its great hall and its little secrets, with guide for the CEO Speight Jenkins.

Outside

The facade of the Seattle Opera (the cons) has several special features. Fully glass, its transparency will mark the designers to create a building opened on the city, inviting passers-by discovered opera. It is reached via a pedestrian. It is a historical reason that led to this provision: McCaw Hall was housed in the structure of a first theater built in 1927 on the outskirts of downtown. The development of Seattle took an unexpected turn for the first architects and the street has become a promenade. The metal pillars, visible inside, are decorated with necklaces engraved with the names of the most generous donors. Finally, the parkway was tense metal nets. Eclairés night, they reflect on the film of water along the frontage of the building. In the background, the "flying saucer" umbrella of the Space Needle, futuristic tower became the emblem of Seattle since its construction in 1962.

Stairs

The opera was fully renovated in 2003, only eighteen months. The option taken to retain the structure of the original building permit to reduce the cost of construction at $ 127 million, made possible by donations and public funding local, regional and Washington State. By way of comparison, the complete construction of the Bastille Opera cost over 425 million euros. The monumental sculpture by Sarah Sze (above), specially created in 2005 to enliven the grand staircase, is an abundance of objects of all kinds, flowers, branches, bottles, with their cuts. To get there, you can even borrow - by the eye - ladders. Was it this colorful diversity? Is this the form whirlwind of the structure? The fact is that the work was spontaneously adopted by the regulars, to the astonishment of the CEO Speight Jenkins, who feared a scandal.

An evening at the opera:

The halls of donors

To restore before a performance, the McCaw Hall proposes four areas: two open, including one on the ground floor and another on the second floor, two in private rooms reserved for the most generous donors, and the evocative names. The private spaces in an opera? This is a unique unthinkable in Europe. If the selection by money shocks Europeans accustomed to what makes invisible state funding of such a house, an American was also shocked to see operas luxury financed by the general population. Two rooms thus: "Crown Donor Suite" is reserved for patrons who contribute at least 4. 000 dollars in the year. More elitist, "Platinum Suite" is reserved for those who have given at least 12. $ 500. Moreover, there is little difference in building these facilities, which are primarily functional.

The home

Flambant nine, the McCaw Hall is no exception to the principle that music lovers come to see and be seen. Whether the first or second floor, home east and offers a panoramic view on the stairs at a time of rising steps. In the hall alternate warm colors on the walls, cold on the seats and carpet, and black for the ceiling. Is this a compromise between the imperial Garnier gold and white and black Jansenist Bastille? For Speight Jenkins, the absolute opposition between the two theaters of Paris is indeed a reflection of the dual nature of French tastes shared between luxury and counting.

At the intermission

Europeans are most reluctant to American culture agree that the quality of service provided to clients is exemplary. This example is found in the facilities of McCaw Hall, until the details that some consider unworthy of consideration, namely the ladies toilets. In theatres, they are usually not enough, cramped and uncomfortable, and go to the intermission is the time to make a choice: to dominate its repulsion queues or repress its need. Here, no existential questions because there is no waiting, the number of booths has been tripled in comparison with other opera houses, bridges and tact, the mural is colored fishing, which adorn the complexion . In addition it is not likely to cross its neighbor, its chief or notable of the city at the entrance or exit from this place because it enters through a door and on a lot by another. Close to a meeting, it is more pleasant to see the bar, a sparkling wine as champagne method by hand; major French champagne houses to produce excellent California.

After the performance

In many rooms operas, the public and musicians share perhaps a taste for music, some have also apparently the desire to rush out of the building to return home immediately after the performance, even a Shortly before they can. At McCaw Hall, the CEO does not taste the emergency return to the fold: former journalist, he hosts a question and answer session after each performance in the conference hall built at the first floor (above). A moment to share his impressions and prolong the evening.

The hall

Between 1962 and room than in 2003, the difference is substantial and goes beyond the color changes of seats, moved from red to blue, and lighting. This put a value before the octagonal coffered ceiling, whereas today it makes them invisible, they are still there. Where are the improvements? The gauge of the hall was reduced from 3019 to 2893 places by deleting 3 meters of seats on both sides of the hall and the creation of eight balconies. Thus is increased, very sensitive, this sense of intimacy if appreciable at such locations. The room has not been reduced, strictly speaking; walls were mounted halfway up, leaving open spaces inaccessible to the public and covered with prosecutors to maintain a good reverberation of sound. For Speight Jenkins, the operation conducted by the Cabinet LMN Architects has been a success, all places with a good view and an excellent acoustics. The singers have also won because the proportions of the hall are such that they do not feel the need to force votes to reach the last row of spectators.

Pit orchestra and dressing

The new hall has improved the comfort of musicians. As the orchestra pit is now broken down by soil, providing comfort quite significant, while the old poles that supported the scene were deleted. Luxury rare, all dressing singers are equipped with toilet and shower individual. Finally, little attention that makes the difference, doors dressing singers are extended because… how to move in a standard size door to a large robe of the eighteenth century?

At McCaw Hall in Seattle, respect for artists and the public is played on all fronts, artistic, educational, and hospitality to them is made.

Release link: http://www.seattleopera.org/