He debuted there in November 1839 with Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio. His most famous work, Nabucco, premiered on the same stage on the 9th of March 1842.Īnother immense Italian composer, Giacomo Puccini, saw many of his works represented for the first time of La Scala’s stage. Many are the famous operas represented for the first time on its stage: Norma by “the swan of Catania,” Vincenzo Bellini, Madama Butterfly and Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, Nabucco, Otello, Falstaff and Giovanna d’Arco by Giuseppe Verdi, the composer probably tied more strongly with La Scala. La Scala‘s stage has been like a home for some of the greatest names of music: from composers to performers, the theatre holds within its grandiose walls the history and the voice of almost two and a half centuries of art. Reconstruction works lasted until 1946, when the theatre reopened: director that night was Arturo Toscanini. More on what happened then below. Its history, however, was not all beautiful representations and temperamental artists: during the last war, La Scala was severely damaged by allied bombings. Just over 100 years later, on the night of the 26th of December 1883, it became the first theatre in the world to be lit with electricity: more than 2400 light bulbs were needed. La Scala opened, as said, on the third of August 1778, with a grand representation of Antonio Salieri’s Europa Riconosciuta, commissioned for the occasion. The interior of La Scala (Lars Nilsen/Flickr flic.kr/p/e9zBPp) The theatre’s interior decoration was realised by Giuseppe Levati, Giuseppe Reina and Domenico Riccardi, who painted the stage curtain inspired, it is believed, by milanese poet and Italian Neoclassicism representative Giuseppe Parini. The nobility of Milan, eager to have in the city a theatre deign of those of Vienna and Salzburg, funded its construction. Its memory, however, remained alive in the name of the theatre itself, whose La Scala and “della Scala” designations are indeed inspired by it. The location chosen was occupied by the collegiata regia of Santa Maria della Scala, a church which was demolished to make space for the theatre. The project was assigned to one of the best known names in architecture at the time, Giuseppe Piermarini. When the Regio Ducal Teatro was destroyed by fire (1776), the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria ordered the construction of another theatre. Famous composers, including Tomaso Albinoni, Giovanni Paisiello and – alas – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, had been commissioned works to represent on its stage: Milan was one of the Habsburg Empire’s most important cities and it deserved the best. Up to 1776, the milanese world of music and “bel canto” would gather in the Regio Ducal Teatro , built in proximity of the city’s Palazzo Reale. To celebrate its birthday, we will go on to a fascinating walk through its galleries and behind-the-scenes, discovering some of the curiosities, events and people that made it famous. Two hundred and thirty eight years later, La Scalahas lost none of its original beauty and its status as home of music, “bel canto” and ballet has never faltered. “What a magnificent jewel” – he thought of the theatre.Ī while earlier, Salieri had been asked to compose a piece to represent in occasion of the inauguration of Milan’s newest opera house, the Nuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala: that night, his Europa Riconosciuta, a dramatic opera in two acts, gave a start to the eternal musical life of what was to become the most famous and recognisable of all theatres, La Scala di Milano. His shoulders to the backstage, he stares in owe at the luxurious sea of velvet and gold before his eyes: rich waves of crimson refulgent with gold, dazzling with crystal. Young Antonio Salieri, already official composer of the imperial court in Vienna, stands alone in the middle of the stage, the fragrant scent of fresh wood parquet filling his nostrils while he breathes in the excitement for the hours to come. The iconic Teatro alla Scala, in Milan, celebrates its 238th birthday (Lorenzoclick/Flickr flic.kr/p/rfefTZ)
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