Madrid - The curtain rose last night at the Liceu Opera House in Barcelona for a performance of Puccini's Turandot attended by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, almost six years after it was originally scheduled to appear, Jane Walker reports. In January 1994, as workers were preparing for the production, the Liceu was devastated by a fire which destroyed the building, leaving only the facade and the rear wall standing.
Reconstruction began almost immediately to make it one of the most sophisticated and modern theatres in the world.