LA SCALA 091
space could indeed seem to dissolve, leaving light, and even, for the believer, God. Tis is what Bramante and Le Corbusier were trying to achieve. But at La Scala, Italy’s, and arguably the world’s, most revered opera house, off- stage passions had risen to heights seldom seen in a place of worship, and unseen in the theatre. As far as the critics were concerned Botta needed more than the power of prayer if he was to ever finish the project.
Should you pay £3,000 for a seat it has to be worth it – albeit just to enter that riot of red velvet and gilt is very exciting. La Scala has a special place in the history of music and the culture of the world. Ever since it was founded,
Left The building is located in the Piazza della Scala square in the centre of Milan
Rght A 17-storey structure, six floors of which are underground, has been added parallel to La Scala on the Via Giuseppe Verdi. At the base of this tower is an orchestra practice room, and on top is an airy dance studio. In between are new ofices, storage and rehearsal space
under the auspices of the Empress Maria Teresa of Austria, to replace the Royal Ducal Teatre, it has remained the appointed place of Italian opera seria, with many of the greats first being performed there. Its list of greats includes conductors, the most renowned singers, the most feted ballet dancers, and the most remarkable theatre directors. Tis was always the place to make one’s name. So if Botta was going to hold on to his reputation he would have to redeem it here.
Ventures of this kind are notoriously risky. Creating a dialogue between the 18th-century and modernity is not easy. And a place of dreams and illusions, a space for adventure
and collective imagination, is not a project for everyone to undertake. An opera house can mean anything from a custom-built laboratory-clean factory block with an auditorium like a posh cinema to a building originally intended as a music hall over a 100 years ago. Somewhere in the middle are the grand opera houses, the legacy of opera when it was the sport of royals, built as public monuments and given pride of place in the centre of capital cities. Tey were built mainly in the 1850s when the production of opera was a leisurely affair and when the position of the arts in public life was much better understood. No-one fussed about the money required,
La Scala has a special place in the history of music and the culture of the world. Ever since it was founded it has remained the appointed place of Italian opera seria
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