Teatro Amazonas

A proposal

A jewel in the heart of the rainforest was proposed in 1881

Construction was first proposed in 1881 by a member of the local House of Representatives, Antonio Jose Fernandes Júnior, who envisioned a jewel in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. It was built during the Belle Époque, when fortunes were made in the rubber boom.

Slow work

Work was slow, with stops and restarts, and the plans came from Lisbon

The chosen project was made by the Gabinete Português de Engenharia e Arquitectura, an office from Lisbon. Construction was ready to begin in 1884 under the Italian architect Celestial Sacardim. Work proceeded slowly over fifteen years, with some stops and restarts from 1885 to 1892.

1896

The theatre was inaugurated on 31 December 1896

By 1895 the masonry work and exterior were completed, and the interior decoration and electric lighting could begin more rapidly. The theatre was inaugurated on December 31, 1896. The first performance, on January 7, 1897, was the Italian opera La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli.

Imports

The tiles came from Alsace, the steel from Glasgow and the marble from Italy

The roofing tiles were imported from Alsace, the steel walls from Glasgow, Scotland and the Carrara marble from Italy. The dome is covered with 36,000 decorated ceramic tiles painted in the colors of the national flag of Brazil. There are 198 chandeliers, including 32 of Murano glass.

36,000decorated ceramic tiles cover the dome

On screen

Fitzcarraldo paddles to the opera house in a film of 1982

The theatre is featured in the film Fitzcarraldo, directed by Werner Herzog in 1982. The opera-obsessed character makes his way by paddling his own boat to the opera house to hear Enrico Caruso sing. On June 1, 2005, The White Stripes played there, reported as the first rock show at the theatre.