The opera and the tango

摘要

The Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires's great opera house, is a microcosm of Argentina's history. Begun in 1895 by a private company that went bust, it was finished by the city government in 1908, at the height of the Belle Epoque. It is twice the size of Milan's La Scala, with six tiered balconies decked out in gold leaf and a lobby modelled on the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. It is part of Argentina's notable musical tradition: as well as the tango, the country also produced Daniel Barenboim and welcomed many European musicians fleeing Hitler. In recent decades the Colon limped on, plagued by over-mighty trade unions, corruption and waste. In 2000, strikers took to the stage during a performance. The director died of a heart attack and the season was cancelled.