Author Antoine Pecqueur had visited many performance palaces for his book The Most Beautiful Opera Houses in the World. He said that at the world's top opera houses, the buildings are works of art themselves. He shared his favorites with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY, with China's Guangzhou Opera House among the list.

Oslo Opera House

Norway

This modern marble-and-glass opera house opened in 2008. Each seat back has a screen offering subtitles of the performance in eight languages. The building has quickly become a city landmark. (Source: ycwb.com)