The Teatro del Libertador General San Martín (or more commonly, Teatro del Libertador or Teatro Libertador) is the premier stage

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

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 ...

and

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province a ...

Overview

Noting the absence of a concert hall in his native Córdoba, Provincial Justice Minister

Ramón J. Cárcano Ramón José Cárcano (April 18, 1860 — June 2, 1946) was an Argentine lawyer, historian and politician who served as Governor of Córdoba (Argentine province), Governor of Córdoba from 1913 to 1916, and from 1925 to 1928. Life and times Jos ...

proposed the establishment of one to Governor Ambrosio Olmos in 1887. Securing the project's approval and funding from the Córdoba Legislature, Cárcano commissioned a fellow

Italian Argentine Italian Argentines ( it, italo-argentini; es, ítalo-argentinos, or ''tanos'' in Rioplatense Spanish) are Italy, Italian-born people (born in Argentina or Italy) or non-Italian citizens of Italian people, Italian descent residing in Argentina. It ...

, architect

Francesco Tamburini Francesco Tamburini (1846 in Ascoli Piceno, Italy – 1891 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was an Italian-born architect who designed many important architectural landmarks in Argentina. He studied architecture in Italy and arrived in Argentina in 18 ...

, for the project's design. Creating an eclectic

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

theatre, Tamburini's design was juxtaposed with Arturo Nembrini Gonzaga's interior

verdigris Verdigris is the common name for blue-green, copper-based pigments that form a patina on copper, bronze, and brass. The technical literature is ambiguous as to its chemical composition. Some sources refer to "neutral verdigris" as copper(II) ac ...

accents, façade

reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

and

quadriga A () is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in Classical Antiquity and the Roman Empire until the Late Middle Ages. The word derives from the Latin contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. The four- ...

, all nods to the

Beaux Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpora ...

so in demand in Argentina at the time. The entirety of the theatre's materials, fabrics and machinery was imported for the purpose from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. The landmark institution was inaugurated on April 26, 1891, as the Rivera Indarte Theatre. Popularly known as the ''Teatro de la Calle Ancha'' ("Broad Street Theatre") during the early 20th century (Broad Street was later renamed Vélez Sársfield Avenue), the grand concert hall was designed for a capacity of 1,000 spectators. Its concert hall featured a rising floor to stage level, made available during the many social balls held there since then. Among the first prominent drama theatre directors to stage productions there was

María Guerrero María Ana de Jesús Guerrero Torija (April 17, 1867 - January 23, 1928), better known as María Guerrero, was a prominent Spanish theatre actor, producer and director. Life and work María Guerrero Torija was born in Madrid in 1867. She enrol ...

, who popularized the theatre of Spain in Argentina after 1897. Subsequent years saw numerous internationally renowned classical performers, as well, notably

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

Titta Ruffo Titta Ruffo (9 June 1877 – 5 July 1953), born as Ruffo Cafiero (double forename) Titta, was an Italian operatic baritone who had a major international singing career. Known as the "Voce del leone" ("voice of the lion"), he was greatly admi ...

Tito Schipa Tito Schipa (; born Raffaele Attilio Amedeo Schipa; 2 January 1889 in Lecce16 December 1965) was an Italian lyric tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice ...

and

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

. The theatre additionally houses the Luis de Tejeda and Rafael Grisolía halls, each with capacities of around 100 and mainly reserved for seminars, as well as for the theatre's Youth Orchestra. A museum of the institution's extensive

stagecraft Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and p ...

collection was organized into the Cristóbal de Aguilar Musical and Theatre Museum in 1970. The institution was renamed in honor of General

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and cent ...

in 1950 by order of President

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine Army general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President of a military dictatorship, he was elected P ...

on the occasion of the centennial of the Liberator's death. It was renamed ''Rivera Indarte'' in 1956 (following Perón's overthrow), and regained the San Martín denomination in 1973.

Sources

Gobierno de la Provincia de Córdoba: Teatro del Libertador
{{authority control Theatres in Argentina Concert halls in Argentina Opera houses in Argentina Buildings and structures in Córdoba, Argentina Tourist attractions in Córdoba Province, Argentina Music venues completed in 1891 Theatres completed in 1891 1891 establishments in Argentina