La Scala opera house inaugurated - August 3, 1778

La Scala opera house was inaugurated on this day in 1778. Learn more about La Scala in an episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class at https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/the-la-scala-opera-house.htm. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. What's Up? Everyone? Welcome to This Day in
History Class, where we bring you a new tidbit from
history every day. Today is August three, nineteen. The day

(00:23):
was August three, seventy eight. The Teatra a la Scala,
also known as Las Scala, was inaugurated in Milan. La
Scala is one of the most prominent opera houses in
the world. Before Las Scala, there was the Royal Dutale Theater,
which was the place to go for opera in Milan.

(00:47):
But on February seventeen seventy six, the Royal Ducale was
destroyed in a fire, so a replacement needed to be built.
Empress Maria Teresa saw to the construction of a new theater.
Building expenses were covered by owners of the boxes at
the Ducale in exchange for renewed ownership of their private

(01:08):
boxes and possession of the land that was home to
the Church of Santa Maria a la Scala. Architect Giuseppe
Pierre Marini, who had worked on the Royal Palace of
Milan and other major projects, was commissioned to design the
new opera house. Santa Maria a la Scala was torn
down to build the Teatro Alla Scala, a name that

(01:31):
translates as theater at the Stairway. After two years of construction,
Las Scala opened on August three, seventy. The first opera
performed at La Scala was Antonio salieris l Ropa ricono
sua or Europa Revealed, with the libretto written by Mattia Vedazzi.

(01:52):
The opera house has a neo classical facade and its
interior is lavish. It has a horseshoe shaped auditorium and
it was originally designed with six tiers of boxes, though
many of these ornamented original boxes didn't survive past the
mid eighteen hundreds. Two side wings were added in eighteen

(02:12):
thirty and gas lights were installed in eighteen sixty that
were eventually replaced with electric lights. By the early eighteen hundreds,
the types of productions that were offered at La Scala
were shifting. Opera syria or opera with a serious theme
became more prominent, and choreographer Salvatory Vigano and dancer Carlo

(02:34):
Blassi helped establish the theater as a force in the
world of Valet. Over the years, La Scala has been
associated with a number of artists. Composers Gitano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi,
Vincenzo Bellini, and Giacco Mopuccini produced work for La Scala.
Many works have premiered at La Scala, including Bellini's Il

(02:57):
Baratta in eight seven and verdes Oberto in eighteen thirty nine.
Artistic director Arthur Toscanini played a huge role in the
administration and direction of the theater. Las Scala has had
operational challenges. It was closed during World War One and
bombed during World War Two. It also had to close

(03:20):
in late two thousand one for major renovations and reopened
in two thousand four, but through management changes, the theater
remains open. Las Scala is associated with a ballet company,
ballet school, and singing school. I'm Eve, Jeff Coote, and
hopefully you know a little more about history today than

(03:42):
you did yesterday. If you'd like to learn more about
the Opera House, you can listen to the episode of
Stuff you missed in history class called the Las Scala
Opera House. If you feel like correcting my pronunciation or
my accent on anything that I've said in the show,
feel free to leave a very kind comment on Twitter, Instagram,

(04:03):
or Facebook at t d i h C podcast, thanks
again for listening and we'll see you tomorrow. For more
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