The Politeama Theatre ( Italian: Teatro Politeama, complete name Teatro Politeama Garibaldi) is a theatre of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. It is located in the central

Piazza Ruggero Settimo Piazza Ruggero Settimo is a square of Palermo. Along with the contiguous Piazza Castelnuovo, it forms a single urban space, commonly called Piazza Politeama, by virtue of the presence of Teatro Politeama, the second most important theatre of the ...

and represents the second most important theatre of the city after the Teatro Massimo. It houses the

Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, cel ...

History

In 1864 the municipality of Palermo launched an international competition for the construction of a monumental

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

(the Teatro Massimo) and, a year later, an internal competition for the construction of a diurnal multi-purpose theatre (hence the name ''"Politeama"'' from the

Greek language Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...

). The architectural project was assigned to

Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giuse ...

. The theatre would have to be built on the border of the monumental structure of Palermo, as an ideal point of reference of the city's expansion. Therefore, unlike the "aristocratic" Teatro Massimo, the Politeama would have to house more popular shows (operetta, festivals, equestrian shows, etc.). Palermo BW 2012-10-09 16-43-32

Then, it was decided to erect a large opencast amphitheatre at the beginning of Viale della Libertà. In 1865 the contract with the construction company Galland was signed, but the construction started only in 1867. A year later the project was modified because it was decided to transform the amphitheatre into a real theatrical house. In the meantime, the work slow down due to problems that have arisen between the municipality and the Galland company. In 1869 the municipality decided to name the building after

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

, but later this intention was dismissed. On 7 June 1874 the theatre was inaugurated with the opera ''

I Capuleti e i Montecchi ''I Capuleti e i Montecchi'' (''The Capulets and the Montagues'') is an Italian opera (''Tragedia lirica'') in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini. The libretto by Felice Romani was a reworking of the story of ''Romeo and Juliet'' for an opera by Nicol ...

'' of

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was a Sicilian opera composer, who was known for his long-flowing melodic lines for which he was named "the Swan of Catania". Many years later, in 1898, Giu ...

. However, the building wasn't complete yet. During the following years the name of the building was simply "Teatro Municipale Politeama". In 1882

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

died and the theatre was named after him. Even though the covering had been made in 1877 by the Fonderia Oretea, the last interventions were completed in 1891, when Palermo hosted the Esposizione Nazionale. At that time dates back the official opening in the presence of King

Umberto I of Italy Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

and of Queen

Margherita Margherita is an Italian feminine given name. It also is a surname. As a word, in Italian it means " daisy". Given name As a name, it may refer to: *Margherita Aldobrandini (1588–1646), Duchess consort of Parma *Margherita de' Medici (1612 ...

. On that occasion

Francesco Tamagno Francesco Tamagno (28 December 1850 – 31 August 1905) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America.Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages, On 5 February ...

was the protagonist of

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Otello ''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887. Th ...

''. Between 1910 and 2006 the foyer of the theatre was home of the Galleria d'arte moderna di Palermo. The Politeama is the headquarters of the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana since 2001.

Description

The building is an important example of

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

. It has a large entrance by way of

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

topped by the bronze quadriga designed by

Mario Rutelli Mario Rutelli (Palermo, Sicily, 4 April 1859 – 1941) was an Italian sculptor. Biography From a native British family which long ago moved from France to Italy (Rudelle at first), Mario's father Giovanni Rutelli was a prominent architect in ...

. This quadriga depicts the ''"Triumph of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

and

Euterpe Euterpe (; el, Εὐτέρπη, lit=rejoicing well' or 'delight , from grc, εὖ, eû, well + el, τέρπειν, térpein, to please) was one of the Muses in Greek mythology, presiding over music. In late Classical times, she was named muse ...

"'' flanked by two statues of knights on horseback, representation of the ''"Olympic Games"'', work of

Benedetto Civiletti Benedetto Civiletti (1 October 1845 – 22 September 1899) was an Italian sculptor, active mainly in his native Sicily. He is known for his Romantic-style public sculptures on allegorical, genre, or historical themes. Biography Benedetto was bor ...

. On both sides of the entrance there are commemorative plaques recording the epigraphs dictated by the historian

Isidoro La Lumia Isidoro is a masculine given name and a surname related to Isidore. The name is borne by: People Given name * Isidoro Acevedo (communist) (1867–1952), Spanish politician, trade unionist, activist and writer * Isidoro Álvarez (1935–2014), Spani ...

. At the top there are two bass reliefs depicting the ''"Fames"'' draw by the painter Giuseppe Pensabene and another, under the quadriga, depicting little angels, work of Mario Rutelli. Around the entrance a semicircular structure develops with two orders of colonnade. A rich polychrome decoration, both within and outside the theatre, was made by eminent local painters like Nicolò Giannone, Luigi Di Giovanni, Michele Corteggiani, Giuseppe Enea,

Rocco Lentini Rocco Lentini (1858 – November 1943) was an Italian painter, noted for directing the team responsible for the ceiling decorations of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. Biography Rocco Lentini was born in Palermo in 1858 and died in Venice in 194 ...

, Enrico Cavallaro, Carmelo Giarrizzo, Francesco Padovano, Giovanni Nicolini and

Gustavo Mancinelli Gustavo Mancinelli (1842 in Rome – 12 April 1906, in Naples) was an Italian painter, who made portraits and depicted many Orientalist subjects. Biography The son and pupil of the painter Giuseppe Mancinelli, he exhibited great talent at a ver ...

. In the lateral gardens there are the sculptures of a

Bacchante In Greek mythology, maenads (; grc, μαινάδες ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Maenads were known as Bassarids, ...

(work of Valerio Villareale), of a

Sylph A sylph (also called sylphid) is an air spirit stemming from the 16th-century works of Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as (invisible) beings of the air, his elementals of air. A significant number of subsequent literary and occult works have be ...

(work of Benedetto De Lisi) and of

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(work of Antonio Ugo).

Gallery

File:Tiatru Politeama.jpg, Quadriga with flanking knights File:Teatro Politeama, Palermo, frontón sobre arco, Sicilia, Italia, 2015.JPG, Reliefs File:Palermo-AP-p1070692.jpg, Colonnades File:David by Antonio Ugo-Palermo.jpg, ''David'' of Antonio Ugo File:DSCF1839-Palermo-Sicily-Italy-Castielli CC0-HQ (3492439684).jpg, Painting File:«Eschilo presenta a Gerone le Etnee a Siracusa» Particolare 2.jpg, Painting

References

External links

*
Image gallery
*
Profile of the theatre - ''arte.it''
*

{{authority control Politeama Neoclassical architecture in Palermo Politeama Music venues completed in 1891

History

Description

Gallery

See also

References

External links