He was born on October 22, 1811 Franz Lisztoutstanding piano virtuoso and profound innovator of nineteenth-century music. As an adult, he composed only one work, which remains unfinished, The Sardanapalorediscovered only a few years ago. On October 22, 1883, Faust of Gounod, opened to the public Metropolitan Opera House of New York. The Old Met occupied a block on Broadway, between West 39th and West 40th. Residents of the Big Apple nicknamed it the “Brick Brewery” because it looked somewhat industrial from the outside. Inside, however, there was nothing to envy a large European theater: stucco, velvet, crystal chandeliers and a gold damask curtain. It is also known for its excellent acoustics. But in the middle of the twentieth century, its spaces were already considered insufficient (especially behind the scenes). So it was decided to build a new one elsewhere, and given the sensitivity of the Americans to the old – very small – the glorious theater came to a bad end: it was demolished in 1967, despite a public campaign to save it. Today there is a skyscraper in its place. The “New Met” at Lincoln Center, opened in 1966.