SCALA (SKAH-luh)
La
Scala: Famous opera house of Milan, Italy
Common
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The
Teatro
alla Scala (or
La
Scala for
short), in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous opera
houses.
An
exterior view of the newly renovated La Sala Opera House. BBC
World Edition.
The
current edifice is the second theater on the site. A fire
destroyed the first, the ancient Teatro Ducale, on 25 February
1776,
after a carnival gala.
A group of ninety wealthy Milanese, who owned palchi
(private
boxes) in the theater, wrote to Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria
asking
for a new theater and a provisional one to be used while
completing the new one.
The
neoclassical architect
Giuseppe Piermarini produced an initial design but it was
rejected by Count Firmian (an Austrian governor). A second plan
was accepted in 1776 by Empress Maria Theresa.
The
new theatre was built on the former location of the church of
Santa Maria alla Scala, from which the theatre gets its name. The
church was deconsecrated and demolished, and over a period of two
years the theater was completed by Pietro Marliani, Pietro
Nosetti and Antonio and Giuseppe Fe. The theater was inaugurated
on 3 August 1778,
under the name Nuovo
Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala with
Salieri's L'Europa
riconosciuta.
Building
expenses were covered by the sale of palchi, which were lavishly
decorated by their owners, impressing such observers as Stendhal.
La Scala (as it soon came to be known) soon became the preeminent
meeting place for noble and wealthy Milanese people. In the
tradition of the times, the platea
(the
main floor) had no chairs and spectators watched the shows
standing up. The orchestra was in full sight, as the golfo
mistico (orchestra
pit) had not yet been built.
Above
the boxes, La Scala has always had a gallery where the less
wealthy can watch the performances. It is called the loggione.
The loggione is typically crowded with the most critical opera
aficionados, who can be ecstatic or merciless towards singers'
perceived successes or failures. La Scala's loggione is
considered a baptism of fire in the opera world, and fiascos are
long remembered. (The famed tenor Carlo
Bergonzi, back on stage after many years, wasn't forgiven for a
bad start to his Aida
and
suffered merciless fischi
— whistles,
which in Italy signify contempt).
As
with most of the theaters at that time, La Scala was also a
casino, with gamblers sitting in the foyer.
La
Scala was originally illuminated with eighty-four oil lamps
mounted on the palcoscenico
and
another thousand in the rest of theater. To prevent the risks of
fire, several rooms were filled with hundreds of water buckets.
In time, oil lamps were replaced by gas lamps, these in turn were
replaced by electric lights in 1883. The original structure was
renovated in 1907, when it was given its current layout. In 1943,
during WWII, La Scala was severely damaged by bombing. It was
rebuilt and reopened on May 11, 1946, with a memorable concert
conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
La
Scala hosted the prima
(first
production) of many famous operas, and had a special relationship
with Giuseppe Verdi. For several years, however, Verdi did not
allow his work to be played here, as some of his music had been
modified (he said "corrupted") by the orchestra.
It
now hosts a museum (accessible from the foyer) with an
extraordinary collection of paintings, drafts, statues, costumes,
and other documents regarding opera.
La
Scala's season traditionally opens on December 7, Saint Ambrose's
Day, Milan's patron saint. All performances must end before
midnight; long operas start earlier in the evening if need be.
Ticketholders are not allowed to enter after the performance has
begun. No exceptions are made, as Richard Burton
once
discovered.
Recent
Developments
The
theatre was closed for renovation from 19 January
2002
to
November 2004 on
a project by the Ticinese architect
Mario Botta. During the closure, the opera company was
transferred to the new Teatro degli Arcimboldi, far from the city
centre. The renovation proved controversial as preservationists
feared that historic details would be lost; however, the opera
company was said to be impressed with improvements to the
structure and the sound quality, which was enhanced when the
heavy red carpets in the hall were removed. The stage was
entirely re-constructed, and an enlarged backstage will allow
more sets to be stored, permitting more productions, and the
seats now include monitors allowing audiences to follow opera
libretti in English, French, and Italian. Tickets for the
re-opening fetched up to €2,000.
The
refurbished interior of La Scala. BBC News World Edition.
Carlo
Fontana, the general manager of La Scala since 1990, was
dismissed in February 2005 by
the board of governors over differences with the music director,
Riccardo Muti. The resulting staff backlash has caused serious
disruptions and staff strikes. In a statement, the theater's
board said it was "urgent to unify the theatre's
management". On March 16, 2005, the La Scala orchestra and
other staff voted overwhelmingly in no confidence motion against
Muti, and demanded the resignation of Fontana's replacement,
Mauro Meli. Muti had already been forced to cancel a concert a
few days earlier because of the disagreements. Italy's culture
minister, Giuliano Urbani, supports the conductor, but has called
for urgent action by management to safeguard the smooth operation
and prestige of La Scala. On April 2, 2005, Muti resigned from La
Scala, citing "hostility" from staff members.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "La Scala".
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