Metropolitan Opera w Nowym Jorku i jej polski projektant

Abstract

The Metropolitan Opera House in New York and its Polish designer

The new Metropolitan Opera House opened in 1966. The earlier building, on 39th Street, no longer met the functional requirements of the Metropolitan Opera, particularly in terms of its limited capacity. The new opera house was erected on a specially designated site in the Lincoln Center, in Upper Manhattan. The design of the opera house was entrusted to Wallace Kirkman Harrison, of Harrison & Abramowitz, a well-known American architect whose successfully realized projects included the Rockefeller Center. For the Metropolitan Opera he designed a spacious edifice on a rectangular plan, with an open façade, with five magnificent arches, and walls covered with travertine. Somewhat austere on the outside, it is extremely grand inside, its auditorium dominated by red and gold. The fully mechanized stage was provided with state-of-the-art equipment, and care was taken to provide excellent acoustics for the large, multi-story auditorium. The foyer of the opera house is decorated with two large murals by Marc Chagall, while the staircase is adorned with sculptures by Aristide Maillol. The foyer and auditorium are illuminated by Viennese chandeliers designed by Tadeusz Łęski.The Met is today one of the world’s finest opera houses, and the structure designed almost sixty years ago has stood the test of time as regards both form and function.

Słowa kluczowe: opera; Nowy Jork; Metropolitan Opera.

Key words: opera house; New York; Metropolitan Opera House.