Theater alla Scala
The Teatro alla Scala or La Scala, one of the world’s most famous opera houses, was built through the good offices of Empress Maria Teresa of Austria to replace the Royal Ducal Palace (the venue of opera in Milan until that time) that had been destroyed by fire on February 26, 1776.
The building costs were borne by the owners of the boxes at the Royal Ducal Theatre against the granting of concessions of the land on which the Church of Santa Maria alla Scala (hence the name) was located and the renewal of their box ownership. Designed by the celebrated neo-classic architect Giuseppe Piermarini, the Teatro alla Scala opened on August 3, 1778 with Antonio Salieri’s opera L'Europa riconosciuta to a libretto by Mattia Verazi. The early artistic period of activity was linked to the traditional "Neapolitan" opera buffa having Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) and Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801) as its leading advocates. Among the many operas performed, let’s mention La Frascatana (1780), Il barbiere di Siviglia (1786) and Nina pazza per amore (1804) by Paisiello, L'italiana in Londra (1780) and Il matrimonio segreto (1793) by Cimarosa. The repertoire was renewed between 1793 and 1798 with L'oro fa tutto by Ferdinando Paër (1771-1839) and Un pazzo ne fa cento by Giovanni Simone Mayr (1763-1845) - thus opening towards the neo-classic French style and also to the further evolution of the musical theatre art form. Historically, Paër and Mayr marked the transition between the opera buffa and the romantic opera of Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868). In 1812 with Rossini’s La pietra del paragone, the La Scala was to become the place par excellence of the Italian music drama - its history dating back more than a century and its tradition surviving up to our times. The list of Rossini's works performed until 1825 includes: Il turco in Italia, La Cenerentola, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La donna del lago, Otello, Tancredi, Semiramide, Mosè. During that period, the choreographies by Salvatore Viganò (1769-1821) and Carlo Blasis (1795-1878) widened the La Scala’ supremacy to include ballet. Concerning the foreign repertoire, the production of Die Zauberflöte, one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operas (1756-1791) performed during the 19th century, in 1816 and La Vestale by Gaspare Spontini (1774-1851) in 1822. In 1806 Alessandro Sanquirico (1777-1849) was appointed as the director of stage design and drastically refreshed the vision of stages to the romantic trends. In 1814 the stage was increased in depth to fill the area of a demolished convent in the district of San Giuseppe (now via Verdi). In 1821 the candle lighting system was replaced with a large central chandelier with safety lamps (called “argants”), that remained in use until the gas lighting system was installed in 1860. A striking melodrama season opened between 1822 and 1825 with Chiara e Serafina by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) and Il pirata by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). Then the following operas by Donizetti were performed until 1850: Anna Bolena, Lucrezia Borgia, Torquato Tasso, La fille du régiment, La favorite, Linda di Chamounix, Don Pasquale, and Poliuto. These were followed (until 1836) by Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Norma, La sonnambula, Beatrice di Tenda and I puritani. Among the foremost artists of the repertoires by Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini let’s mention sopranos Isabella Colbran (1785-1845), Maria Teresa Belloc-Giorgi (1784-1855), Giuditta Pasta (1797-1865), mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran (1808-1836), tenor Luigi Pacini (1767-1837), male sopranos Gasparo Pacchiarotti (1740-1821) and Giovanni Battista Velluti (1780-1861). In ballet, three of the La Scala’ stars rose to fame: Maria Taglioni (1804-1884), Fanny Cerrito (1817-1909) and the Austrian Fanny Elsler (1810-1884) – the latter being forced to leave La Scala as she was suspected to be a police informer in 1948 . Moreover, let’s mention the French Marius Petipa (1818-1910), celebrated also for having created The Sleeping Beauty and the Swan Lake by Čajkovskij, in St Petersburg. In 1839 Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio inaugurated the series of operas by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), the composer whose name is linked more than any other to the history of Teatro alla Scala. After the sensational débacle of Un giorno di regno, Nabucco was performed in 1842. It was Verdi’s first, decisive triumph. At the same time, the strong patriotic feeling stirred by Nabucco established the melodrama appeal whilst identifying with La Scala itself. Two more operas - I Lombardi alla prima crociata and Giovanna d'Arco – were performed, then Verdi’s collaboration terminated abruptly in 1846. For many years the new operas by Verdi were performed elsewhere. Starting from 1869, a rapprochement occurred gradually and the new version of La Forza del destino was produced. In 1872 the European première of Aida was performed at La Scala where he also conducted his Requiem in 1874 and showed his revised Simon Boccanegra in 1881. In 1887 and 1893, Otello and Falstaff, the last two masterpieces resulting from the master’s collaboration with Arrigo Boito (1842-1918), were performed. Among the most popular singers of Verdi’s works at the Teatro alla Scala there were soprano Giuseppina Strepponi (1815-1897, Verdi’ second wife), Adelina Patti (1843-1919), Teresa Stolz (1834-1902, the first player of the Requiem), Francesco Tamagno (1850-1905, the first to play Otello), and baritone Victor Maurel (1848-1923, the first to play Falstaff). In 1881 Luigi Manzotti (1835-1905) and Romualdo Marenco (1841-1907) created the Excelsior ballet, a choreography masterpiece at La Scala and still part of its repertoire today. In 1883 the auditorium and the stage were equipped with an electric system.
In 1898 Teatro alla Scala’s financial problems led to an experimental management modernization – this process being implemented by duke Guido Visconti di Modrone, Arrigo Boito and Giulio Gatti Casazza, who was entrusted with the general management (this role was then covered by a Superintendent). Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) became the artistic director and carried through a radical reform both in terms of organization and relationship with the audience. Arturo Toscanini, one of the most acclaimed conductors in all times, took up Verdi’s inheritance and launched a tradition that continued uninterruptedly and was renewed during the 20th century. He revaluated, and regularly performed, Richard Wagner’s works (only belatedly and inadequately recognised since then) and extended the orchestra repertoire to the symphonic music as well. Operas by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) were performed starting with Le Villi in 1885 and followed – inter alia - by Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, and La fanciulla del West. In 1926, Toscanini conducted the première of Turandot, which work is considered to end the Italian melodrama history. In 1891 Cavalleria rusticana marked the introduction of Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) and Verismo - the music realism in Italy - into the La Scala repertoire.
It was followed by many other Mascagni’s works (Iris, Parisina, and Le maschere) and major works by Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919), Francesco Cilea (1866-1950) and Umberto Giordano (1867-1948).
In 1906, Richard Strauss’ Salome was performed and marked a turning point in the repertoire towards new musical trends and also an ultimate opening towards foreign composers. Works by Igor Stravinskij, Claude Debussy, Ferruccio Busoni, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Riccardo Zandonai, and Ottorino Respighi were performed. The new artistic trend – having conductor Tullio Serafin (1878-1968) among its most prominent figures - will be then consolidated and maintained. On March 8, 1913 a museum – the Museo Teatrale alla Scala – was opened after purchasing the collections from the Paris-based antique dealer Jules Sambon. In 1921 the ownership of the boxes was switched from private owners to Milan City Council - as the consequence of a new financial crisis exacerbated by the first world war, in 1917. Thus La Scala became a municipal corporation under the control of the Italian Government that provides for financing its activities annually. The stage was then significantly enlarged and the technological plants refurbished. In the interwar period leading interpreters, such as Fëdor Saljapin, Magda Olivero, Giacomo Lauri Volpi, Titta Ruffo, Gino Bechi, Beniamino Gigli, Mafalda Favero, Toti Dal Monte, Gilda Dalla Rizza, and Aureliano Pertile, were performing at La Scala. Major innovations were introduced by Nicola Benois in the scenic design criteria. In 1943 La Scala was severely damaged by bombing. After reopening on May 11, 1946 with a memorable Toscanini’s concert, it rapidly attained the highest production and artistic levels under Antonio Ghiringhelli’ superintendentship . Vittore Veneziani, who had been dismissed in 1938 due to racial laws, was back again to direct the Chorus. In 1948 the short-lived maestro Guido Cantelli (1920-1956) made his debut and established himself as one of the most prominent postwar conductors. Many opera productions (a Wagner cycle conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler in 1950, the Verdi’s repertoire by Victor de Sabata etc.), concerts (Herbert von Karajan, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Bruno Walter etc.), interpreters (Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Mario Del Monaco etc.), dancers (Margot Fonteyn, Serge Lifar, Maja Plissetskaja, Rudolf Nureyev), and directors (Luchino Visconti, Giorgio Strehler) belong not only to La Scala history but also to the history of postwar music and theatre. In 1954 Norberto Mola was appointed as director of the Chorus. In 1955 Carla Fracci made her debut at La Scala. Concerning the contemporary repertoire, between 1947 and 1960 and especially during the artistic directorship of Francesco Siciliani, operas or musical works were performed, among others, by Sergej Prokof'ev, Benjamin Britten, Alban Berg (Wozzeck, 1952), George Gershwin, and Francis Poulenc (Dialoghi delle Carmelitane, 1957), Ferruccio Busoni. The following decade also saw leading figures, such as Arnold Schönberg (Moses und Aron, 1961), Dmitrij Sostakovič (Katerina Ismailova, 1964), Luigi Dallapiccola (Volo di notte, 1963), Kurt Weill (Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny, 1964), and Paul Hindemith (Cardillac, 1964). In 1965 Liliana Cosi and Luciana Savignano made their debut. In 1963 Luciano Berio began as a conductor and composer (Passaggio) and Bruno Maderna (1920-1973) made his debut as a conductor. In 1965 Claudio Abbado made his debut and conducted Giacomo Manzoni’s Atomtod. Composer Franco Donatoni made his debut in 1968 (1927-2000) as did Maurizio Pollini in 1969. Roland Petit and Maurice Béjart’s creations resulted in renewed choreographies. Rossini’ Semiramide (1962) and Guglielmo Tell (1965), which had been missing for many years, marked a review valuation process of Rossini’s melodrama repertoire to be established (the so-called "Rossini-Renaissance"). A great role in the musical life was played by prominent conductors Gianandrea Gavazzeni and Antonino Votto. Roberto Benaglio was conductor of the Chorus since 1963. In 1970 Riccardo Muti made his debut as a symphonic conductor at La Scala. In 1972 Claudio Abbado was appointed as Orchestra’s conductor. Until the year 1986 he directed, inter alia, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola and L'italiana in Algeri by Rossini; Simon Boccanegra, Macbeth and Don Carlo by Verdi; Al gran sole carico d'amore – a complete novelty – by Luigi Nono; and Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy. He also conducted many concerts. The Chorus-master was Romano Gandolfi. In 1975 Oriella Dorella made her debut at La Scala. In 1978 a great show was held at Palazzo Reale, Milan, to celebrate La Scala’s bicentennial. In 1981 Riccardo Muti made his debut as an opera conductor at La Scala (Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro). Giulio Bertola was appointed as Chorus-master. In 1982 the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala was created. Works by contemporary authors including Luciano Berio (La vera storia), Franco Donatoni (Atem) and Karlheinz Stockhausen (Samstag aus Licht) were performed until 1986. In 1985 Alessandra Ferri made her debut.
In 1986 Riccardo Muti was appointed as musical director. Between 1989 and 1998 he reintroduced most loved works, such as Rigoletto, La traviata, Macbeth and La forza del destino as well as other Verdi’s works including Falstaff and Don Carlo. He directed the Italian Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy as well as Idomeneo and La clemenza di Tito. His repertory included Parsifal by Wagner and Beethoven’ Symphonic Cycle, Fidelio, four operas by Christoph W. Gluck (including Armide, 1996), Lodoïska by Luigi Cherubini, La donna del lago by Rossini, Pagliacci by Leoncavallo, Nina, ossia la pazza per amore by Paisiello, Tosca by Puccini, and Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc. Talking of other contemporary authors, works by Luciano Berio (Outis), Hans Werner Henze (Lo sdegno del mare, Undine), Giacomo Manzoni (Doktor Faustus), Fabio Vacchi (La station thermale), Salvatore Sciarrino (Perseo e Andromeda), Aldo Clementi (Carillon) and Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story) were performed until 1999.
In 1991 Roberto Gabbiani was appointed conductor of the Chorus. In 1997 La Scala was converted into a foundation under private ownership, thus marking a turning point towards a true modernization process. In 2000 Bruno Casoni was appointed conductor of the Chorus. On December 7, 2001 a new production of Otello, conducted by Muti, was held to end the Verdi’s Year and, for the time being, the performances at Piermarini’s building. Major reconstruction and refurbishment works started in January 2002. On January 19, 2002 the new Teatro degli Arcimboldi, located in the former Pirelli-Bicocca dismissed area, opened with La traviata, conducted by Muti. On May 23, 2002 the Theatre Museum opened at Palazzo Busca. Milan City Council approved the projects by architects Mario Botta and Elisabetta Fabbri for the conservative restoration of Teatro alla Scala. In September, 2003 the Scala was on tour to Tokyo. On December 7, 2004 the restored La Scala reopened with Antonio Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta conducted by Riccardo Muti. The Theatre Museum, redesigned by Pier Luigi Pizzi, returned to Piermarini’s building. In the spring of 2005 Riccardo Muti resigned after 19-year on the podium at La Scala. The 2005-06 season in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth opened with Idomeneo conducted by Daniel Harding. The 2006/07 season greeted the return of Verdi’s Aida conducted by Riccardo Chailly (December 7) and the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Arturo Toscanini’s death - ending with two concurring performances of Verdi Messa da Requiem conducted by Daniel Barenboim at La Scala, Milan, and the Duomo, Parma. On December 7, 2007 Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde conducted by Daniel Barenboim opened the 2007/08 season, thus marking the beginning of a closer collaboration between La Scala and the Argentine-born Israeli-citizen Maestro