Teatro Amazonas: An opera house in the heart of Amazon Rainforest

Teatro Amazonas (The Amazon Theatre) in Manaus, Brazil is an opera house with a curious and chequered history. The construction of the theater began in 1884 at a time when Manaus was the capital city of the Amazonia region, and was at its prosperous best thanks to its rubber plantations. The master architect Celestial Sacardim was summoned for the project and no expenses were spared. The first performance was given by Enrico Caruso on January 7, 1897. However, the glory of the theater was short-lived. In the early decades of the 20th century, Manaus lost its wealth and prominence with the invention of artificial rubber and the theater closed down soon after.

In recent times, however, the populist government of Brazil decided to revive the theater and a lot of funds were pumped in towards that aim. This has resulted in a partial success as the theater once again has been able to open its door to the musicians, most of them now hailing from Eastern European countries. The theater is now home to Amazon Philharmonic, a 54-member orchestra made chiefly of artists from Russia, Belarus and Bulgaria. Currently, the place also plays host to the annual Festival Amazonas de Opera, held in April of every year.