The Most Beautiful Library

In the past, I've complained about the way the Bibliothèque nationale de France has spread out its music-related holdings, and I think my complaint is justified. They keep recordings and tons of books at the main branch (Tolbiac), scores, archival documents, periodicals, and more books at the Département de la Musique (2 rue Louvois), medieval manuscripts and the theater collection at the original BN complex (Rue Richelieu), and certain books (for the life of my I don't know why) at the Pavilion de l'Arsenal, which isn't technically even a BN affiliate. This is lame. They should change this.

Out of the many library branches over which the BN's music(ology) collection is distributed, there is only one I truly do not mind visiting: the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra at the Palais Garnier.

By night, the Palais Garnier (aka Opéra Garnier aka Paris Opera) is home to performances of ballet and older opera repertoire. But by day, it's [trumpet fanfare] full of tourists checking out the unbelievable neo-Baroque ornamentation that covers every square inch of the place! Also there's the library, open 9-5. I get a lot of pleasure out of striding by big tourists groups on my way to the members-only library, and I try to pretend like I'm not impressed by the building. But inside, I'm way impressed.

When my mom and Cathy were in town, I took a day (or 8) off from research and we spent some time sauntering around the Palais Garnier as tourists. I get in for free with my BN ID, otherwise it's 9 euros (ouch!) to check out highlights of the building, such as the hall's Marc Chagall ceiling that depicts many of the canonical operas and ballets performed there (Firebird, Daphnis et Chloe, Pelleas et Melisande, Fidelio...).

Here's what the rest of the hall looks like:

Just in time for my research on Interwar France, there's an exhibit in the "musée" (museum) part of the building dedicated to the Ballets Russes (1909-1929), a ballet company headed by impresario Sergei Diaghilev, who along with composers like Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Ravel, Debussy, Poulenc, Auric, and Milhaud created lots of now-famous works. Below you can see some of the original costumes for the proto-Surrealist ballet Parade (1917) with music by Satie, choreography by Massine, and costumes/scenery by Picasso.

In addition to this exhibit, when you visit the "Bibliothèque-Musée" part of the building you get to see some of the library's book storage, as well as lots of models of sets and backdrops. The library's reading room is at the end of this hallway/book storage area, on the left. You have to get buzzed in.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to sneak any pictures in the library itself, but believe me when I say that it's every bit as ornate as the rest of the building, with lots more natural light and (unfortunately) street noise. Still, you can't listen to music there, so I guess I have a complaint about the BN's Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra after all.

To finish up this blog-mediated tour of the Palais Garnier, here's a hazy glimpse of the building from the back. Tourist tip: the front of the Palais Garnier is visible from the entire length of the Avenue de l'Opéra, but to get this bird's-eye-view of the back, you have to go to Galeries Lafayette and take an interminable series of escalators up to the roof, where you'll have an unusual vantage point on the whole city. It's pretty neat up there.