The auditorium
19th-century decoration.
Junancy B Wanderley Jr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MTur Destinos — Public domain · Junancy B Wanderley Jr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Junancy B Wanderley Jr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arthur Perruci — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Santa Isabel Theatre is a rare example of genuine neoclassical architecture from Brazil's early 19th century. It opened on 18 May 1850, seats about 850 and is named after Princess Isabel. It was designed by the French engineer Louis Léger Vauthier and was the first theatre in Brazil built with skilled labour, after the provincial president Francisco do Rego Barros authorised it in 1839. It has seen moments of national history: Emperor Pedro II visited, it was a platform for Joaquim Nabuco's campaign to abolish slavery, and here the poet Castro Alves met his love, the actress Eugênia Câmara. Today it is home to the Recife Symphony Orchestra, on Praça da República between the Campo das Princesas Palace, seat of the state governor, and the Palace of Justice. The ornate auditorium opens for free visits on weekdays and free guided tours on some Sundays, so check the times; it also hosts frequent concerts, some free with tickets handed out an hour before.
19th-century decoration.
Palaces around the square.
Recife's orchestra.
Praça da República 233, Santo Antônio, Recife
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