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The jewel in Monte Carlo's crown
2010-11-01 00:52
The transformation of Monte Carlo from a simple fishing port to the worldwide centre of glamour we know today began in 1856, when HSH Prince Charles commissioned the building of a hydro for the curing of ailments and a casino modelled on those in the famous German spa towns. 'The new Casino launched by the Société des Bains de Mer will soon rise from the ground in monumental proportions', announced the Prince: 'Around the Casino, fine hotels will be built, having nothing to fear by comparisons with those that have been opened in Paris, London or New York'.
The old Place des Spélugues (Square of the Caves), where lemon and orange trees grew in abundance, was cleared to make way for this grand scheme, but it was some time before it was fully realized. The first building to spring up was the Hôtel de Paris, constructed in 1866 by architect Godinot de la Bretonnerie, and the first building to benefit from Monaco’s newly-installed gas lighting.
Place du Casino in the early 1900s, showing the Casino on the right, the old Cafe de Paris on the left...and the rest of Monte Carlo still to be built!
With the coming of the railway to Monte Carlo in 1868, the fame of the Casino grew apace, and in the 1870s a new building was commissioned from Charles Garnier, the architect responsible for the iconic Paris Opera. His Monte Carlo design – an exact scale model of the Parisian theatre - was to fulfil both functions, being both a private theatre for the Prince (it holds only 500 people) and a public casino.
The choice of Garnier as architect was inspired. Monte Carlo became a kind of Paris-sur-mer, and (along with the entrepreneurs and the moneymakers) leading Parisian artists flocked to this new capital on the shores of the Mediterranean, among them Gustave Eiffel, who designed the beautiful cast iron and glass dome of the Hermitage Hotel.
The gilded jewel-box of the Monte Carlo Opera was inaugurated in January 1879 with a performance by the world-famous Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt; and towards the end of the century its reputation surged when Prince Albert I married the American Alice Heine. It was Princess Alice’s love of opera and her support of the Ballets Russes under their manager Serge Diaghilev which did much to enhance Monte Carlo’s reputation as a centre of culture with a truly international outlook. Celebrated artists to have appeared on its stage since then include Dame Nellie
Melba and Enrico Caruso; and composers whose works have premiered there
include Saint-Saëns and Puccini.
photo BritRob/Flickr
The building which most people think of only as the Casino continues today as a vibrant arts centre. The opera house is now the home to the Ballet de Monte Carlo, who in 2009 celebrated the centenary of the foundation of the Ballets Russes; and already this year it has hosted the world premiere of a new opera, Death and the Powers, as well as a number of guest artists not normally associated with the world of high opera, including, most recently, the great British musician Joe Jackson.
Whatever the future holds for Monte Carlo, its domed Casino will continue to be known the world over as a symbol of the high life and epicentre of the world of high rollers. But next time you visit for a game of poker or black-jack, why not peep behind the curtain of the Salle Garnier? What you see there may well surprise you.
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Monte Carlo Opera's new season starts on 21 November with a production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin