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The best Italian opera houses. History of Italian Opera The most famous theater in Italy

Italy, which gave the world such the greatest composers like Paganini, Vivaldi, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini - country classical music. Italy also inspired many foreigners: for example, Richard Wagner created his "Parsifal" during his stay in Ravello, which brought this city, where the famous music Festival, international fame. Musical seasons open, depending on the theater, from November to December and are important event Italian and international musical life. TIO.BY and the Italian National Tourism Agency have prepared a selection of which of the many Italian theaters to choose. We have attached a link to the program for each theater.

La Scala theater in Milan

One of the most famous theaters is undoubtedly Milan's La Scala Theatre. Every year, the opening of its season becomes a high-profile event involving famous people from the world of politics, culture and show business.

The theater was created at the behest of the Austrian Queen Maria Teresa after the fire that destroyed the city's Royal Theater of Reggio Ducale in 1776. The seasons of La Scala are one of the most significant events cultural life Milan. The program alternates opera and ballet, as well as the names of Italian and foreign composers.

The program of the season is available here.

Teatro La Fenice in Venice

Not far behind La Scala and the Venetian opera house La Fenice, built on Campo San Fantin square in the San Marco quarter. Translated from Italian theater It is called "Phoenix" - precisely because it was reborn twice after fires, like a fabulous phoenix bird, from the ashes. The last restoration was completed in 2003.

It hosts an important opera salon and International Festival contemporary music, as well as the annual New Year's Concert. Each of the seasons is rich and interesting, and its program combines works of classical and modern repertoire. Please check the season's schedule before visiting.

Royal Theater in Turin

The Royal Theater of the Teatro Regio in Turin was built at the behest of Victor Amadeus of Savoy. The facade of the building of the XVIII century, along with other residences of the Savoy dynasty, is recognized as a UNESCO monument.

The opera and ballet season begins in October and ends in June, and every year you can find all kinds of musical events: choral concerts and symphonic music, evenings chamber music, productions at the Teatro Piccolo Regio, intended for new audiences and for family viewing, as well as the festival "MITO - Musical September".

Rome also offers opera and ballet lovers many beautiful encounters. the most important center Classical music is the Rome Opera, also known as the Costanzi Theatre, after its creator, Domenico Costanzi. A frequent guest of this theater, as well as artistic director season 1909-1910 was Pietro Mascagni. Ballet lovers will be interested to know that on April 9, 1917, the Italian premiere of the ballet The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky, performed by the artists of the Russian Ballet troupe Sergei Diaghilev, took place here.

The poster of this theater has a lot opera performances, but much attention is paid to ballet.
If the winter seasons of the Rome Opera are held in the old building in Piazza Beniamino Gigli, then since 1937 the venue for its summer seasons has been open sky became a stunning archaeological complex of the Baths of Caracalla . Opera performances staged on this stage are a huge success with the public, especially with tourists, who are delighted with the combination of this wonderful place with opera performances.

Teatro San Carlo in Naples

The most important theater in the Campania region is, of course, the San Carlo Theater in Naples. It was built in 1737 at the behest of King Charles of the Bourbon dynasty, who wished to create a new theater representing royal power. San Carlo took the place of the small theater of San Bartolomeo, and the project was entrusted to the architect, Colonel of the Royal Army Giovanni Antonio Medrano and the former director of the theater of San Bartolomeo Angelo Carazale. Ten years after the theater was built, on the night of February 13, 1816, the building was destroyed by fire, which left only the outer walls and a small extension intact. What we see today is a reconstruction followed by redevelopment.

This wonderful theater always welcomes opera lovers with a very rich program, which often represents a journey into the Neapolitan operatic tradition and the return of the great classics of the symphonic repertoire, including those read through the prism of a new perception and with the participation of world celebrities. Every season on the stage of Europe's oldest opera house there are bright debuts and wonderful returns.

Of course, it is simply impossible to describe all the splendor of theatrical Italy. But we want to advise you a few more theaters with programs that deserve attention.

Philharmonic Theater in Verona; season's program at the link.

Teatro Comunale in Bologna; programs of opera, music and ballet seasons.

Theater Carlo Felice in Genoa; programs of musical, opera and ballet seasons.

Royal Theater in Parma; season program link

Teatro Comunale in Treviso; season program link

Giuseppe Verdi Opera House in Trieste; season program link

Concert Hall Auditorium in the Music Park in Rome; season's program

What makes classical music lovers book flights to Europe to attend opera performances? In European cities, the level of opera is at high level, the architecture of the theaters is amazing. For everyone who loves this kind of art, we offer an overview of the most significant opera houses in Europe.

La Scala, Milan
The La Scala Opera House opened its doors to visitors in 1778. Today, having booked air tickets to Milan, and going to the most famous opera house, you can listen to the world masterpieces of Bellini, Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Rossini. Incidentally, the capacity auditorium is 2,030 spectators, and the cost of tickets varies from 35 to 300 euros. La Scala is unique in that the season opens on December 7 (this is the day of St. Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan) and lasts until November. La Scala has a strict dress code, only a black dress or tuxedo is allowed to enter the theater.

San Carlo, Naples
San Carlo is the largest opera house not only in Italy, but also in Europe. Only theaters in New York and Chicago surpass it in size. The theater began to operate in 1737. It was rebuilt in 1817 after a fire. Incredibly luxurious theater seats 3,283 spectators, ticket prices start from 25 euros. If you decide to book flights to and visit this wonderful city, then be sure to listen to Giuseppe Verdi's Otello at San Carlo - you will get great pleasure.

Covent Garden, London
If you book a ticket to, you can see not only the Tower Bridge and the royal guard, but also royal theater. Opened in 1732 under the leadership of Handel, the theater survived more than 3 fires, and each time it was restored, preserving the exquisite architecture. The exclusivity of the theater lies in the fact that many productions are shown on English language. Tickets cost from 10 to 200 pounds. In "Covent Garden" we recommend listening to the opera "Norma" Vincenzo Bellini.

Grand Opera, Paris
To appreciate the greatness of the theater, it is enough to list the great composers who performed their works in it: Deelib, Rossini, Meyerbeer. In the most visited theater in the world, tickets cost up to 350 euros, and the capacity of the hall is 1900 spectators. Facade with 7 arches, sculptures of Drama, Music, Poetry and Dance and interior with marble staircases, frescoes by Pils, paintings by Chagall and Baudry. Booking flights to is worth it in order to visit the Grand Opera at least once

Royal Opera, Versailles
The Royal Opera of Versailles is located in a large luxurious palace and is the largest palace theater in the world. Its architectural uniqueness lies in the fact that it is completely constructed of wood, and all marble surfaces are only imitations. The theater hosted premieres of brilliant operas, including Gluck's Iphigenia in Tauris. Now this theater is an obligatory part cultural program for those who have booked flights to Paris. The minimum ticket price is 20 euros.

Vienna State Opera House, Vienna
The Vienna Opera House is a truly royal style and scale. At the opening of the theater they performed Mozart's Don Giovanni. Everything in the opera house is imbued with the spirit of the great Austrian composer: the facade of the theater, made in the neo-Renaissance style, is painted with frescoes based on the opera " magical flute". And the most popular artistic director was the conductor Gustav Mahler. Every year in February, the Viennese ball is held in the theater. Having booked a ticket to Vienna, be sure to visit the opera house!

Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa
The Carlo Felice Theater in Genoa is a symbol of the city, for which no money or effort has been spared. For example, the design of the stage was created by Luigi Canonica, who built La Scala. The theater is inextricably linked with the name of Giuseppe Verdi, who held the premieres of his operas for many seasons in a row. And until today, on the poster of the theater you can see creations brilliant composer. If you have booked flights to Genoa, we advise you to listen to the opera "Mary Stuart" by Gaetano Donizetti. By the way, ticket prices are quite democratic and start from 7 euros.

Gran Teatro Liceu, Barcelona
, love opera and pass by the "Grand Teatro Liceo" is simply impossible! The theater is famous for both the classical repertoire and the modern approach of the works. The theater survived an explosion, a big fire, and was restored exactly according to the original drawings. The seats in the auditorium are made of cast iron with red velvet upholstery, while the chandeliers are made of dragon-shaped brass with crystal shades.

Estates Theatre, Prague
The Prague theater is the only one in Europe that has survived almost unchanged. It was in the Estates Theater that Mozart first presented to the world his operas Don Giovanni and Mercy of Titus. Until now, the works of the Austrian classic form the basis of the theatre's repertoire. Among the virtuosos who performed on this stage are Anton Rubinstein, Gustav Mahler, Niccolo Paganini. In addition to opera, ballet and dramatic performances are given here. And the Czech director Milos Forman filmed his film Amadeus here, which brought many Oscars.

Bavarian State Opera, Munich
The State Opera in Bavaria is considered one of the oldest theaters in the world, it was opened as early as 1653! The theater seats 2,100 spectators, and ticket prices start at 11 euros and end at 380 euros. Here were presented the premieres of Wagner - "Tristan and Isolde", "Rheingold", "Valkyrie". Gives 350 performances annually (including ballet). For those who have booked a flight to Munich, must see the Bavarian Opera.

Introducing the second part of our selection of the most beautiful theaters Italy.

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Rome Opera House

The first building of the Rome Opera House, known as the Teatro Costanzi, was built in 1874. The main hall of the theater was connected by an underground passage to the Quirinale Hotel, built in 1865, precisely at the time when, due to the unification of Italy, intensive building of Rome took place between the central station and Piazza Venezia.

In 1926 the theater was purchased by the administration of Rome. Completion, extension and redevelopment were entrusted to the architect Marcello Piacentini, who completely changed it appearance, increasing the number of tiers of the auditorium to four and installing the world's largest Murano crystal chandelier. The theater received the name "Royal Opera House" and was inaugurated on February 27, 1928 by Nero di Arrigo Boito.

After the Second World War in 1956, the theater began to expand and rebuild again. Among other things, it was decided to create a hall for guests of honor and a foyer. The work was completed in 1960. Thus, the capacity of the theater was 1700 seats.

Puccini's Tosca premiered at the Costanzi Theater in 1900. It also hosted the Italian premiere of his "Girl from the West" with the participation of the conductor Arturo Toscanini in 1911, as well as "Gianni Schicchi" in 1919. In 1910, the theater hosted the premiere of "Maia" by Ruggero Leoncavallo, ten years later, the premiere of "Romeo and Juliet" by Riccardo Zandonai took place here.

Pietro Mascagni was a frequenter of the Rome Opera, was its artistic director in 1909-1910, in the same theater there were such premieres of the composer as "Country Honor" in 1890, "Friend Fritz" in 1891, "Iris" in 1898 with participation of Enrico Caruso, and "The Lark" in 1917.

In addition to the premieres, the audience remembered such performances as Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (1964), Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlo (1965, conductor Carlo Maria Giulini, director Luchino Visconti).

Neapolitan Opera House San Carlo

The opening of the theater, built by order of Charles III, took place in 1737 with the opera Achilles auf Skyros by Domenico Sarro based on a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. This is the oldest opera house in Europe and one of the largest in Italy. Its capacity is 2000 spectators. Soon the theater became the heart of the Neapolitan opera school and a center of international culture: in 1751 Gluck's Mercy of Tito was staged on its stage, in 1761 Cato in Utica and Alexander in India by I.K. Bach, subsequently Handel, Haydn and the young Mozart, who first visited the theater as a spectator in 1778, collaborated with the theater.

“The eyes are blinded, the soul is defeated. […] There is not a single theater in Europe capable of not even approaching it, but only making up its pale shadow.” (Stendhal, 1817).

In the 19th century, when Naples shone among European capitals and was an obligatory stage " Great trip» children of noble families, began Golden time San Carlo, where Rossini and Donizetti were conducting. All famous artists of that time it was considered an honor to perform on the stage of this theater. In 1819, Nicolo Paganini gave two concerts here, and in 1826, Vincenzo Bellini's Bianchi and Fernando, written especially for San Carlo, premiered on its stage.

Later, his audience enjoyed the operas of Puccini, and on turn of XIX-XX century - the music of the "young school" Mascagni and the Neapolitans by birth and education Leoncavallo, Giordano, Cilea and Alfano.

Venetian Grand Theater "La Fenice"

The construction of the theater began in 1789 according to the design of the architect Giannantonio Selva and ended in 1792. Venice's main opera house is located in the Sestiere di San Marco. The theater came into being thanks to the Venier family, as the previous theater of San Benedetto, one of the most elegant and prestigious in the city, was destroyed by fire. The name of the new theater (“Phoenix”) symbolizes the rebirth of art from the ashes. The name became prophetic, as subsequently the theater was repeatedly burned and restored. The last revival took place in 2003 after the strongest fire in 1996, which completely destroyed it.

It took seven years to restore and reconstruct. At its opening on December 21, 2003, Riccardo Mutti conducted the overture "Consecration of the House", Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms" (the composer is buried on the island of St. Michael in Venice) and "Te Deum" by Antonio Caldara, a prominent Venetian composer of the 17th-18th centuries, were also performed. . The ceremony ended with the performance of "Three Symphonic Marches" by Wagner, a composer with close ties to Venice.

It is impossible to list all the premieres of La Fenice. In the 19th century, these were operas by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi. No less is the list of conductors, singers and directors who have risen to his stage. Since 1930, on the stage of La Fenice, there has been a branch contemporary music Venice Biennale. As part of the Biennale, some works by Stravinsky, Britten, Prokofiev, Nono, Maderna and Malipiero were performed for the first time.

Turin Royal Theater

The theater was built by order of King Charles Emmanuel III in just 2 years by the architect Benedetto Alfieri. The opening took place on December 26, 1740. It accommodated up to 2,500 spectators in a spacious stalls and five tiers of boxes and galleries; the most interesting performances with luxurious scenery were staged here. Since 1997, the theater has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The names of Giacomo Puccini, who entrusted the theater "Reggio" with the premiere of "Manon Lescaut" and "La Boheme", as well as Richard Strauss, who conducted "Salome" during its Italian premiere in 1906, are closely associated with the theater.

On the night of February 9, 1936, the theater was destroyed by fire. It took almost 40 years to restore it.

The re-opening of the theater took place on April 10, 1973 with Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Sicilian Vespers" staged by Maria Callas and Giuseppe di Stefano. The theater again becomes a significant center of the cultural life of Piedmont and Italy. In 1990, the theater celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding, in 1996 - the centenary of the world premiere of La bohème. In 1998, the 25th anniversary of the restoration of the theater was celebrated, and in 2006 - XX winter Olympic Games and the Cultural Olympiad. Since 2007 music director theater is the composer Gianandrea Noseda.

Petruzzelli Theater in Bari

The Petruzzelli Theater is the fourth largest in Italy and the largest private theater Europe. It owes its appearance in 1903 to the Petruzzelli family, who wished to completely gild it from the inside, as well as equip it with heating and electric lighting.

From the very beginning, greatest musicians of his time, including composer Pietro Mascagni, tenors Benjamin Gigli and Mario del Monaco, conductors Herbert von Karajan and Riccardo Muti, singer Renata Tebaldi and Luciano Pavarotti. In the eighties, the theater hosted two high-profile premieres: "Iphigenia Taurida" by Niccolo Piccinni, never performed again after the Paris premiere of 1779, and the Neapolitan version of "Puritans" by Bellini, written especially for Maria Malibran and never performed.

On the night of October 27, 1991, the theater was damaged in a fire. The restoration took almost 18 years. The re-opening was marked by the performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony conducted by Fabio Mastrangelo. The opera season opened in the same year with Turandot by Puccini.

Giuseppe Verdi Opera House in Trieste

The Giuseppe Verdi Opera House is one of the oldest operating opera houses in the world. Its construction began in 1798 according to the design of the architect Gian Antonio Selva (he also designed the Venetian "La Fenice"). Construction was completed in 1801 already under the leadership of Matteo Pertsha. The structure of the building resembles Milan's La Scala. The first production was "Genevieve of Scotland" by Simon Mayr.

During the 1843-44 opera season, Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco was a resounding success with the public. In 1848, the premiere of Verdi's Le Corsaire took place at the theater, and in 1850, Stiffelio. In honor of the great composer, the city council of Trieste decided to name the city's opera house after him.

Teatro Massimo in Palermo

Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele in Palermo is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in Europe after Parisian Opera and the Vienna State Opera. Its area is 7700 square meters.

The building was built in neoclassical style on the land of the Church of the Stigmata and the monastery of St. Julian, which were demolished to build a theater. Work began in 1875, designed by the architect Giovanni Battista Filippo Basile. The opening took place on May 16, 1897 with the opera Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi directed by Leopold Mugnone.

Curious fact: in 1990 the theater became the filming location for " Godfather III" by Francis Ford Coppola featuring Al Pacino, Andy Garcia and Sofia Coppola. The scene was filmed here when Michael Corleone, who arrived in Palermo, is present at his daughter's debut in " rural honor» Pietro Mascagni.

In the first opera season, the theater gave "Aida" (15 performances), then "Lohengrin", "La Traviata", "Manon Lescaut" were staged. Huge success in those years enjoyed the opera "King of Lahore" by Jules Massenet. It was played 17 times in one season.

The years 1906-1919 were the heyday of the "Palermo Liberty", marked by local premieres of Wagner's operas: "Valkyrie", "Siegfried", "Twilight of the Gods", "Tristan and Isolde", "Parsifal". World premieres were staged four operas: "Lost in the Dark" by Stefano Donaudi, "Venice" by Riccardo Storti, "The Month of Mary" by Umberto Giordano, "Baroness Carini" by Giuseppe Mule.

Parma Teatro Regio

The building of the Reggio Theater in Parma began to be built in 1821 according to the project of the architect Nicola Bettoli on the initiative of the Duchess Marie-Louise of Austria, Napoleon's wife, who was appointed to govern the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza after the Congress of Vienna. The Duchess upheld the great traditions of Italian music and found the existing Farnese Theater unworthy of the needs of the city. The opening of the new theater took place on May 16, 1829 with the opera Zaira, specially composed for this event by Vincenzo Bellini. The first opera season continued with Moses and Pharaoh, The Death of Semiramide and The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini.

From the very moment of its foundation, the Reggio Theater has become a witness and participant profound changes opera genre, which marked the decline of the Rossini era and the heyday of Verdi, the growth of interest in German and French opera, a movement towards realism in the work of Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini.

The theater is still considered to be the real keeper of the Italian operatic tradition, not inferior to the Milanese La Scala and the Venetian Fenice, although, of course, it is less known in the world.

If you have ever been to Italy, then you know what the inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula are proud of. The Uffizi Gallery and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain in Rome, St. Mark's Basilica and the Grand Canal in Venice. Does this list seem to be missing something? That's right, Milan's La Scala, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is missing.

affectionate name

Those who are somewhat familiar with Italian, the name of the La Scala theater may surprise you. Indeed, the Italian word skala, translated into Russian, means, oddly enough, an ordinary staircase. But in fact, the theater got its name from the church of Santa Maria della Scala, on the site of which it was built. And the church was so christened in honor of the powerful patroness, one of the rulers of Verona, who bore the surname Scaliger.

One million lire for a new theater

In the 70s of the 18th century, the Royal Ducal Theater already existed in Milan. But in 1776 it was consumed by fire, so the inhabitants of the city had to think about creating a new theater - they did not want to lose the glory of the capital of the Italian opera. With the consent of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the famous architect Giuseppe Piermarini was commissioned to design a new building on the site of the church.

In the 18th century, the Royal Ducal Theater already existed in Milan.

The theater cost the city almost a million lire, which by the standards of that time was a huge sum! 90 of the city's most eminent aristocrats divided the costs among themselves and forked out. It took the architect Piermarini and his assistants two years to create a brilliant example of the neoclassical style, and already in 1778 the theater was opened to visitors.

La Scala theater building

Center of Milanese life

From its very opening, La Scala fell in love with the audience. The theater hall, made in the form of a huge horseshoe (100 by 38 meters!), equipped with almost two hundred boxes, each of which could accommodate up to 10 spectators, richly decorated with gilding, was never empty.

The theater hall, made in the form of a huge horseshoe

True, not all citizens came to the theater to listen to the opera. At that time, La Scala became the real center of Milanese life. It was equipped with gambling rooms and buffets, gambling evenings, balls and even bullfights were held within the walls of the theater!

La Scala Theater Hall

Rossini, Verdi and Tchaikovsky

The first work staged on the stage of the newborn theater was Antonio Salieri's opera Recognized Europe, which the composer wrote specifically for baptism of fire La Scala. Interestingly, after the reconstruction in 2004, Known Europe reopened a series of productions on the stage of the theater. Probably, the inhabitants of Milan see something symbolic in this.

Masterpieces by eminent composers were continuously staged on the stage of the theater

Masterpieces by eminent composers were constantly staged on the stage of the theater. Over the many years of his work, La Scala managed to collaborate with Cherudini, Paisiello, Rossini (experts even talk about a special Rossini period in the history of the theater). Not to mention Donizetti, Bellini, Puccini and, of course, Verdi! True, the latter did not immediately make friends with the Milan theater. After staging his Joan of Arc, the composer terminated the contract with La Scala and left. A little later he returned again, already head over heels in love with this theater. On the stage of the "Milanese" works of Russian classics were staged more than once. For example, they were enthusiastically received " Queen of Spades” Tchaikovsky, “Boris Godunov” and “Khovanshchina” by Mussorgsky, “Love for Three Oranges” by Prokofiev and “Katerina Izmailova” by Shostakovich.

Giuseppe Verdi

Clash of the Titans

Of course, is there a theater without performers? Among the famous opera singers who performed on the stage of La Scala, you can call Caruso and Ruffo, de Luca and Skip, Gigli and Benzanzoni, Canilla and Del Monaco, as well as the famous Russian singer Chaliapin! Opera lovers remember the middle of the 20th century as a legendary confrontation between two prima donnas - Tebaldi and Callas. Each of the singers has its own real fan club. Passions sometimes ran so high that the fans opera divas had to be separated by the police. It is impossible to say who won this rivalry, but in 1955 Callas earned the title of "divine" by performing the part in La Traviata.

Renata Tebaldi

Maria Callas

Twenty year old genius

For many opera lovers, the name of the La Scala theater is strongly associated with the name of himself. famous conductor— Arturo Toscanini. For the first time, he appeared on the stage of the Milan theater in 1887 at the age of 20, already being famous then - he became famous by performing Aida in Brazil. The young conductor made his debut with a resounding success, took the reins of the theater in his hands and introduced iron discipline. Toscanini was tireless, he spent many hours rehearsing, despite the fact that many actors almost collapsed from fatigue. In the early 30s, the genius had to leave Italy due to disagreement with the ideology of the government, and the conductor went to America. When Toscanini learned in 1943 that the theater had been destroyed by bombs, he became disheartened. In 1945 he donated a million lire for the restoration of his beloved brainchild, and already in 1946 he arrived in sunny Milan to conduct again in the renovated theater.

Arturo Toscanini

Hand in hand with ballet

In addition to the opera, the La Scala theater is famous, of course, for its ballet. The most eminent European choreographers worked on the stage of this theater: Rossi, Franchi, Clerico, Vigano, Taglioni, Casati - this is not a complete list.

In addition to the opera, the La Scala theater is famous, of course, for its ballet.

A whole galaxy of beautiful dancers and dancers grew up on the stage of La Scala: Vulcani, Pelosini, Fabiani, Franchi, Cerrito, Salvioni and many others. Among the productions and still known are "Creations of Prometheus", "Vestal", "Giselle", " Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, “Daphnis and Chloe”, “Romeo and Juliet”.

Ekaterina Astafieva

Known for its opera singers and works. If you love opera, try to attend at least one performance (buy tickets in advance). The opera season usually lasts from October to April, while in the summer you can visit various outdoor performances.

Best opera houses Italy and a couple of summer opera festivals: