La Scala

TheTeatro alla ScalainMilan,by night.

TheTeatro alla Scala,usually known asLa Scala,is one of the most famousopera housesin the world. It is inMilan,Italy,which is the country where opera started at the beginning of the17th century.The theatre opened on 3 August 1778. At first it was calledNuovo Regio Ducal Teatro alla Scala.The first opera to be performed there wasSalieri'sEuropa riconosciuta.

Building of the theatre

There had been a theatre there before, called Teatro Ducale, but it had been destroyed by fire in 1776. The new theatre was built where there had been a church called Santa Maria della Scala. This is how the theatre got its name.

The theatre had more than 3,000 seats arranged in six tiers (six storeys) of boxes, and above that the two 'loggione' or galleries. It has a very largestage.The money for the building was found by selling the 'palchi' (boxes) to wealthynoblemenand other rich people in Milan. In the 'platea' (the main floor) there were no seats and the audience there stood up to watch, like they do today in theRoyal Albert Hallat theProms.Theorchestracould be seen very well as they were not in anorchestra pitlike they are today.

Above the boxes, La Scala has always had a gallery where people who are not so rich can watch. This is still there today. It is called theloggione.Some people in the loggione, known as theClaque,are known to applaud wildly if they like a singer, orbooloudly if they do not like a singer. During La Scala’s history this has often been because ofbriberyorblackmail.

La Scala was originally lit with 84 oil lamps mounted on thepalcoscenico(ceiling) and another thousand in the rest of theater. In case they ever caught fire, several rooms were filled with hundreds ofwaterbuckets.Later,oillamps were replaced bygaslamps. In 1883electriclights were put in.

The building was renovated in 1907. After that it had 2,800 seats as it does today. In 1943, duringWorld War II,La Scala was badly damaged bybombing.It was rebuilt and reopened on 11 May 1946, with a brilliant concert conducted byArturo Toscanini,with a soprano solo byRenata Tebaldi.

Verdi

Many famous operas were first performed at La Scala, including some byGiuseppe Verdi.For several years, however, Verdi did not allow his music to be played here because he did not like the way the orchestra had played it. However the composer later conducted hisRequiemthere on May 25, 1874, and in 1886 announced that La Scala would host the premiere of his operaOtello.The first performance of his last opera,Falstaffwas also given in this theatre.

Today

The inside of the theatre as it is today after recent modernizing

La Scala's season traditionally opens on 7 December,Saint Ambrose's Day, Milan'spatron saint.All performances must end before midnight; long operas start earlier in the evening if necessary.

There is also aLa Scala Museum(Museo Teatrale alla Scala) which has an extraordinary collection ofpaintings,drafts,statues,costumes,and otherdocumentsabout opera and La Scala's history.

Recently there have been morerenovationsto La Scala. Some people were worried that it would spoil the historic building, but the opera company were very pleased when the work was done. There was a new stage and lots more room behind the stage. The heavy red carpets were taken away and the sound was better. The seats includemonitorsso that the audience can follow the words inEnglishorItalianif it is in a foreign language (not Italian). The renovated opera house was opened on 7 December 2004 with the same opera by Salieri that had opened it in 1778. TheconductorwasRiccardo Muti.

Other websites

• La Scala official website