Opéra de Monte Carlo Centennial Stamp Set 1979 (1st Edition)

This article features the Opéra de Monte Carlo centennial stamp set from 1979. That year, Monaco actually created two sets of postage stamps celebrating the centennial of the world famous opera house. This post features the six issues comprising the first of the two sets. Surprisingly, opera houses are a rather common theme on stamps. Of course, they are important symbols of the artistic culture of a country. In addition, they are places where the intellectual, cultural, economic, and governmental elite come together. In many places, opera houses are the result of government funding or the generosity of a royal family. Therefore, they are symbols of the upper echelons of society. For all these reasons, opera houses are often on postage stamps.

On this blog, you can find stamps featuring opera houses in Dresden, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Cairo, and Milan.

Opéra de Monte Carlo

In the 1870s, Prince Charles III of Monaco made the decision to build a concert hall as part of the Monte Carlo Casino. Charles Garnier, the architect of the famous Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, was selected to design the new hall. The Monte Carlo opera house is small, with only 524 seats, but is fantastically ornate. Originally, it was not intended for opera, but in 1898 and 99 the theater was remodeled to make it more suitable for such productions. The theater is known as the Salle Garnier.

The Salle Garnier is a favorite hall among performers. Such famous singers as Nellie Melba, Enrico Caruso, Claudia Muzio, Lily Pons, and others have sung there. It has also been the site of many important premiere performances.

The Opéra de Monte Carlo Centennial Stamp Set

The stamp set from 1979 includes six stamps. One stamp (above) features the building and the portrait of Garnier. It was the design of Jacques Gauthier. The other five stamps feature scenes from five operas whose premieres were at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. The color pallette of the set is cool, mostly blues, greens, and violets. The designs were from various stamp engravers including Pierre Forget and Jacky Larrivière among others.

Le jongleur de Notre-Dame

The first stamp in the set was a design by B. Minne and Georges Bétemps. It honors the opera Le jongleur de Notre-Dame by Jules Massenet. This opera in three acts made its premiere on February 18, 1902 in the Salle Garnier. The piece takes place in a cloisters in medieval France. A juggler, Jean, appears and the prior encourages him to join the order. While the other monks give gifts in honor of the beautiful new statue of the Virgin, the juggler only knows how to perform. When he does his street act, the other monks are horrified. However, the statue of the virgin comes to life because of his most important gift of himself.

Hans le joueur de flûte

The second stamp in the set is for the opera Hans le joueur de flûte by Louis Ganne. Its premiere took place in 1906. The libretto for the piece is based on the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The stamp shows the piper playing before a crowd of men. The design is by the French engraver Pierre Forget.

The next stamp is in honor of another opera by Jules Massenet. This commemorates his setting of the story of Don Quichotte. This work had its premiere at the Salle Garnier in 1910. The stamp, complete with several windmills, was created by the designer and engraver Jacky Larrivière.

L’Aiglon

The next stamp does not quite fit with the rest of the set. It is a vertical stamp while the others all are horizontal. The color pallette is also very different, mostly brown and a dark rose color. The design is by Georges Bétemps. The stamp features the opera L’Aiglon by Jacques Ibert and Arthur Honegger. The story features Napoleon III who escapes imprisonment from Austrian captors. His footman also escapes with him and the two make their way to the battlefield where the Battle of Wagram took place.

L’enfant et les sortilèges

The final stamp in this group feature an opera by Maurice Ravel, L’enfant et les sortilèges. The premiere of which took place in 1925. The rather wonderful stamp was the creation of Pierre Forget. The short story is set in two scenes and with the main character being a rude and spoiled child. In the first part, he treats his mother rudely and destroys the toys and stuffed animals in his room. Then they come to life and treat him poorly, as he deserves. In the end, he redeems himself and the toys help him to get home.

Here is a part of a performance of the Ravel opera.