Opera and Ballet Theater is one of the most famous edifices in Odessa, together with Potemkin Stairs. The first opera house, designed by the Saint Petersburg architect Thomas de Thomon, was opened in 1810 and destroyed by fire in 1873, and the modern building was constructed by two Viennese architects, Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer in neo-baroque style and opened in 1887. The theatre was the first building in Odessa to employ the Edison Company with electric illumination.
The architecture of the luxurious audience hall follows the late French rococo style. In 1925 another fire destroyed the stage and unique curtain, and damaged the auditorium. Finally, from 1996 to 2007 the theater was completely overhauled. The unique acoustics of the horseshoe-designed hall allows to deliver even a whisper-low tone of voice from the stage to any part of the hall. But it is not only interesting for its architecture, but it also has a rich creative biography.
Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater is part of Historic Center of the Port City of Odessa (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List), about which I wrote here.
About the stamp
The stamp, depicting three candles, is part of the same series of definitive stamps, about which I wrote here.
Sender: Mina Mashchenko (direct swap)
Sent from Odessa (Odessa Oblast / Ukraine) on13.12.2012
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