Amazonas Opera House / Amazonas Theatre

The Amazonas Opera House is one of the most sumptuous opera houses in Latin America, and it is the monument that best represents the rich golden period of the rubber. Manaus was living the golden rubber period, and it was one of the most prosperous cities in the world, due to the richness that had come from the latex of the rubber tree. Rubber products were highly esteemed by European and American industries and the city needed a place where it would be possible for foreign companies to present their shows. Thus the construction of the opera house was a requirement of the epoch.

The architectonic project that was chosen had as authorship the Portuguese Engineering and Architecture Council of Lisbon, in 1883. However, it was only in 1884 that it had its real start. The construction work happened in a slow pace and it was only during the government of Eduardo Ribeito, in the boom of the rubber period, that the building took strong flow. European architects, constructors, painters and sculptors were called here to execute the work.

The intern decoration was in charge of Crispin do Amaral, except for the noble salon, the most sumptuous area in the building, which was in charge of the Italian artist Domenico de Angelis. The spectacle salon of the theatre was built to receive 685 people, distributed among the spectator and the three floors of cabins. In the Noble Salon, whose characteristics are baroque,  the ceiling painting standing out is called "The Glorification of fine arts in Amazonia", 1899, by Domenico de Angelis. In addition to this, there are the standing out ornaments above the flooring columns, with masks in honor of classic and famous playwrights and musicians, such as Ésquilo, Aristóphane, Moliére, Carlos Gomes, Rossini, Mozart, Verdi, Chopin and others.  Above the dome ceiling there are the four canvas painted in Paris by Carpezot House - the most traditional one in that time - where there are portrayed allegories to music, dance, tragedy and a homage to great Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes. Golden chandeliers, with crystals, falling from the centre ceiling of the salon until the level of the chairs (so that they could be cleaned), were imported from Venice. Another thing which also stands out in the spectacle salon is the picture in the curtain, by Crispim do Amaral, which depicts the junction of the Rio Negro and the Solimões to form the Amazon River. The opera house has a great variety of sceneries which were made with different materials and sources, and this is the reason why it is considered a pretty eclectic space.

It is, undoubtedly, the most important building of the city, not only for its incalculable architectonic value, but mainly for its historic importance. The Amazonas Opera House is an undeniable proof of the wealth period of the rubber boom. Nowadays, the opera house has come back to its cultural activities and many presentations have been performed by Amazonas Body Dance Company, Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestra and Amazonas Choir. In addition to this, it has also been the main scenery to great festivals such as, Amazonas Opera Festival, Amazonas Film Festival, Amazonas Jazz Festival and the Theatre of Amazonas. The Amazonas Opera House is now a reference to regional, national and international spectacles.