Built by Knobelsdorff from 1740 to 1743, the State opera house was first rebuilt after a fire in 1843, then again in 1951-55 by Richard Paulick in an historic style after the Second World War. Voltaire declared that it was the place that produced the "best voices and best dancers" of its time, and the institution, which founded Berlin's musical tradition, remains true to this quest for excellence under the baton of conductor Daniel Barenboïm.