The Teatro Municipal is Rio's grandest building — a belle époque opera house completed in 1909 on Cinelândia square in Centro, explicitly modelled on the Paris Opéra Garnier. The exterior is all marble, bronze, and gilded stone; the interior rises through three tiers of gilded boxes to a painted ceiling and an enormous painted curtain that depicts the dawn of civilisation.
The theatre hosts the Municipal Symphony Orchestra and resident ballet and opera companies year-round. Ticket prices are very reasonable by international standards. Guided tours of the building run on weekdays and are one of the best ways to see the interior without attending a full performance. The surrounding Cinelândia square — facing the Municipal Chamber and the Biblioteca Nacional — is one of Rio's most photographed historic corners.