Estates Theatre, Prague

The Estates Theatre in Prague in December 2023, looking up from the stalls at blue-and-cream balconies trimmed in gold and a crystal chandelier under a painted dome. It is compact and bright, a Classical jewel box rather than a red-velvet palace. Count Nostitz opened it in 1783, and on October 29, 1787, Mozart conducted the premiere of Don Giovanni on this stage. It is one of very few theaters still standing where Mozart led a premiere of his own opera, and Milos Forman used it for the opera scenes in Amadeus. Don Giovanni is still in its repertory, so you can hear it in the room it was written for.