Teatro Comunale (Ferrara)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Teatro Communale in Ferrara (Community Theatre of Ferrara) is an opera house, located in the Italian province of Emilia-Romagna, and built between 1786 and 1797. It seated 990.
Privately-owned theatres with limited seating capacity had existed in the city for many years, but the arrival of Cardinal Spinelli, the new papal envoy, in 1786 spurred the construction of a new public theatre under the architects Cosimo Morelli and Antonio Foschini. However, their disagreements led to conflicting design concepts regarding the elliptical shape of the auditorium which were resolved through compromise. The theatre was finally ready for its inaugural presentation of Portogallo’s Gli Orazi e I Curiazi on September 2, 1798.
The theatre is noted for presenting the premiere of an early opera written by Gioacchino Rossini at the age of twenty, Ciro in Babilonia in March 1812.
Between 1825/26 a first renovation was required, followed by a second in 1850, creating the theatre as seen today. In 1928 an orchestra pit was added. During the Second World War the theatre was badly treated and, while it opened occasionally in the immediate post-war years, it closed in 1956, not to re-open until further restorations took place in the early 1960s and then once again between 1987 and 1989.
The present-day theatre auditorium has 5 tiers, while the ceiling displays four scenes from the life of Julius Caesar. It seats 890.
Contents |
[edit] Performance history
Following the Second World War and subsequent renovations, performances were fairly sporadic, but after the creation of “Ferrara Musica” in 1988, more operatic performances have been staged, some of obscure or little-known operas, and other, more popular works in collaboration with theatres in Emilia-Romana. The conductor Claudio Abbado usually presents one opera each season and the 2007 schedule [1] shows four operas being presented between February and April along with dance and theatre and other events of various kinds.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Lynn, Karyl Charna, Italian Opera Houses and Festivals, Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2005. ISBN 0-8108-5359-0
- Plantamura, Carol, The Opera Lover's Guide to Europe, Citadel Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8065-1842-1
