![Veduta Teatro Flavio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Veduta_Teatro_Flavio.jpg)
The Teatro Flavio Vespasiano is the main theatre and opera house in
Rieti. It was opened on 20 September
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
, after ten years of work and finishing touches; directed by architect
Achille Sfondrini. It takes its name from the Roman emperor
Titus Flavius Vespasian ( it, Tito Flavio Vespasiano) who was born in
sabina Sabina may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions
* Sabina (region), region and place in Italy, and hence:
* the now Suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina (-Poggio Mirteto), Italy
* Magliano Sabina, city, Italy
* Pozzaglia Sabina, city, Italy
*Fara Sab ...
(more precisely in
Vicus Phalacrinae, now
Cittareale).
History
Precursors
The first information about the presence of a
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 ...
in Rieti dates to the XV - XVI centuries, with
confraternities
A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most ...
organizing plays in main city squares
.
At the end of the 1500s, the need to organize plays in closed and sheltered settings lead to ''Teatro dell'Accademia del Tizzone'', located in via Terenzio Varrone, in a former hospital
.
Nevertheless, places used as theatres were too small; for this reason between 1765 and 1768, the building was demolished and replaced with ''Teatro dei Condomini''. This new building was made of wood and was wider than the previous, making it the first real theatre in Rieti
.
Design and construction
At the beginning of the 1800s people in Rieti felt the need to build a bigger and grounder theatre, both for the increasing number of spectators and for the will to make a building of greater architectural renown. The city wanted a building to compete with the counterparts built in the rest of Italy
.
In 1838 the architect
Luigi Poletti made an initial design, imagining a structure in piazza Oberdan
. The idea got set aside and the project was entrusted to the architect Vincenzo Ghinelli. Ghinelli designed an area in via Garibaldi for the building
.
![Rieti76](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Rieti76.jpg)
Due to high costs, in 1859 city's bank (Cassa di Risparmio di Rieti) was involved. In 1867 municipality took over the works entrusting them to the architect
Achille Sfondrini, who already designed
Teatro Costanzi di Roma.
Deciding a name proved to be a hard task as well. One faction asked the theatre to be named after the composer from Rieti
Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni; the other faction asserted the former composer to be too clerical, thus proposing the name of the roman emperor
Titus Flavius Vespasian. Eventually, the latter won.
A law in 1882 condemned buildings made of wood because too dangerous. This law raised the need for a new theatre much more pressing as the older Teatro dei Condomini closed
. As a consequence, 16 December 1883 saw the lay of the foundation stone
.
The building was erected quickly and was completed in 1885
. Interior decoration took much more time
. In 1893, a road connection between the back side of the theatre and the underlying piazza Oberdan was built. The road connection consists of two ramps and it is nicknamed "pincetto" after Rome's
pincio
The Pincian Hill (; it, Pincio ; la, Mons Pincius) is a hill in the northeast quadrant of the historical centre of Rome. The hill lies to the north of the Quirinal Hill, Quirinal, overlooking the Campus Martius. It was outside the original bo ...
ramp
.
Works completed the same year, with theatre opening on 20 September 1893
with a double bill of Gounod's ''
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
'' and Pietro Mascagni's ''
Cavalleria rusticana
''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play ...
''
.
Activity
![Terremoto di Rieti del 1898 - 11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Terremoto_di_Rieti_del_1898_-_11.jpg)
After just five years after opening, an earthquake in Rieti damaged the theatre, making collapse the dome and part of the façade. With the collapse, the painting on the dome by Giuseppe Casa was destroyed
. Within a few years, the theatre was fixed and newly working. The dome got a new painting made in tempera in 1901 by
Giulio Rolland.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the excavation of an
air raid shelter caused the cave-in of the
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
and so it caused severe damage to the theatre itself
. Due to low inflow, it was used as a
movie theatre
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
during the
post-war.
In memory of
the holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, celebrating the
siege of Jerusalem and its perpetrator
Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...
seemed inopportune
. For this reason, both naming and internal works' themes were questioned. The anti-fascist city mayor Angelo Sacchetti Sassetti demanded the theatre be named after
Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni and the hiding of both dome and curtain. Nevertheless, the city hall council rejected his demands as well as his resignation. Eventually, Sacchetti Sassetti himself changed his mind
.
At the end of the nineties, the theater has been restored; making the façades respectable again.
Due to new safety regulations, some of the spaces designed for public events were closed. After four years of work to make the spaces compliant, on 10 January 2009 it was opened again with an inaugural concert performed by Opera studio of
Accademia nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints pro ...
and directed by
Marcello Rota. During the event, four solo artists performed: sopranos
Karina Grigoryan and
Jessica Pratt, mezzo-soprano
Anna Goryachova, and baritone Roman Burdenko. Among the audience, there was the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council
Gianni Letta
Gianni Letta (born 15 April 1935) is an Italian journalist and politician. He is a close advisor of Silvio Berlusconi and a member of the advisory board of Goldman Sachs International.
Biography
After graduating in law, he started working as a ...
, and senator
Franco Marini
Franco Marini (9 April 1933 – 9 February 2021) was an Italian politician and a prominent member of the centre-left Democratic Party. From 2006 to 2008, he was the president of the Senate.
Biography Trade unionist
Marini was born in San Pi ...
. Along with compliance works, golds and stuccos were restored. In total, the work cost was € 3.3mln.
In 2009 comune di Rieti approved works for creating space designed for theatre play production on the theatre's west side. Such works, still in progress, will enable the theatre not just for play but for production as well.
More works, financed by regione Lazio in 2016, will allow recover of ''sala degli specchi''
and places where ''circolo di lettura'' was located. Such work did not start yet.
Description
Exterior
![Teatro Flavio Vespasiano, Rieti - esterno 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Teatro_Flavio_Vespasiano%2C_Rieti_-_esterno_01.jpg)
From the outside, the theatre looks hidden by surrounding buildings. Because of that, it is impossible to contemplate it in its entirety. For the exterior,
Sfondrini used
Teatro Costanzi
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...
as a model
.
The south-facing
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...
is on via Garibaldi, one of the arterial roads of the old town. Due to its proximity to , located on the other side of the road, the theatre can be observed only from a quasi-lateral position. In a
renaissance revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
style, it is composed of two orders of
round arches alternated with
lesene
A lesene, also called a pilaster strip, is an architectural term for a narrow, low-relief vertical pillar on a wall. It resembles a pilaster, but does not have a base or capital. It is typical in Lombardic and Rijnlandish architectural building ...
.
Theatre's back side, north-facing, is on via Centuroni. Compared to the façade, the back side is more exposed; thus is almost completely visible from piazza Oberdan. Differently from the façade, the back side is in
neoclassical style with a
tympanum crowning element (originally decorated) hiding the side of the dome.
The west side, on Largo Carioli, offers a more airy visual of the structure. On this side, it is possible to see the
tholobate
In architecture, a tholobate (from el, θολοβάτης, tholobates, dome pedestal) or drum is the upright part of a building on which a dome is raised. It is generally in the shape of a cylinder or a polygonal prism.
In the earlier Byzanti ...
on which the
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
slab-covered dome raises.
Interior
For the interior,
Sfondrini used as a model the
Teatro Verdi that he previously designed
.
![TEATRO FLAVIO VESPASIANO](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/TEATRO_FLAVIO_VESPASIANO.jpg)
;Foyer
The
foyer
A lobby is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer, reception area or an entrance hall, it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre, opera house, concert hall, showroom, cinema, etc. ...
is located at the entrance. It is composed of five pillars and it is often used for temporary exhibitions
. Next to the hall, there are spaces for smoking and coffee as well as the box office
. Inside the hall, there are busts and commemorative plaques to celebrate the most important artists that played in the theatre; among all, the baritone
Mattia Battistini
Mattia Battistini (27 February 1856 – 7 November 1928) was an Italian operatic baritone, referred to as the "King of Baritones" in multiple publications.Steane, J.B., 1998. Singers of the Century, vol. 2. Amadeus Press, Portland, pp.&nbs ...
.
The foyer's ceiling is decorated with an oval tempera painting depicting the ''Allegory of Music''. The painting was made in 1892 by Federico Ballester
. Moreover, there is a tempera painting depicting the ''
muses''; the painting was made in 1916 by
Antonino Calcagnadoro. Other decorations are made by Giuseppe Casa
.
;''Circolo di Lettura'' e ''Sala degli Specchi''
Among other places, the theatre includes the ''Circolo di lettura'', consisting of a set of finely decorated rooms designed for balls and concerts
. The main room is ''Sala degli Specchi'': a room furnished with huge mirrors ( it, specchi, hence the name) on walls and an allegoric painting by Giulio Rolland named ''Le ebbrezze della Musica''
.
;Main room
The main room is composed of a stall including 230 red seats, split in two by a central aisle. With the 2005 restoration, the room regained its cream tone.
On the perimeter, there are three orders of
loges, for a total of 72 loges: 24 per floor.
The gods are on top of the loges, while the
stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
is in front of them. On loges' second order is set the which is decorated on the ceiling with an oval tempera painting by Giuseppe Casa depicting three
putti
A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University of ...
while the balcony is decorated with stucco low relief depicting
Giuseppe Verdi. The balconies in the second and third order, as well as the ones in the gods, are decorated with putti and stuccos depicting musicians whose name is written right below. Originally, the gods was meant to host more than one hundred people; nowadays, because of security measures, it can host up to thirty-three people
.
A big
dome overlooks the whole space. The dome is adorned with a rich
chandelier and frescoed in 1901 with a
tempera
Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...
painting by Giulio Rolland. The fresco celebrates the
triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
of
Titus
Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death.
Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...
and
Flavius
The gens Flavia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Its members are first mentioned during the last three centuries of the Republic. The first of the Flavii to achieve prominence was Marcus Flavius, tribune of the plebs in 327 and 323 BC; ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
after the
victory in Jerusalem.
The
stage
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* Sta ...
is enclosed by a
front curtain
A front curtain, also known as a (front-of-)house curtain, act curtain, grand drape, main curtain or drape, proscenium curtain, or main rag is the stage curtain or curtains at the very front of a theatrical stage, separating it from the house.
...
on which in 1910
Antonino Calcagnadoro painted the surrender of Jerusalem over
Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...
after the
siege of Jerusalem. The painting is made with
tempera
Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...
on canvas with a size of 13.4m x 7.6m
. The curtain was long forgotten until, in 2019, it has been restored by
Accademia di Belle Arti dell'Aquila
The Accademia di Belle Arti dell'Aquila is an academy of fine arts located in L'Aquila
L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a po ...
and was newly exhibited to the audience
.
In front of the stage, it is located the
orchestra pit
An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...
.
Acoustics
The theatre is well known for its great acoustic. Thanks to this feature, in 2002 it won official recognition; when
Uto Ughi
Bruto Diodato "Uto" Ughi (; born 21 January 1944) is an Italian violinist and conductor. He was the music director of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia between 1987 and 1992. He is considered one of Italy's greatest living ...
assigned the first edition of the national award for acoustic to the theatre. Professor Bruno Cagli president of
Accademia nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints pro ...
, defined the theatre as the best in the world from an acoustic standpoint.
The Foundation
Along with the theatre reopening, it was established the Flavio Vespasiano Foundation. The main goal of the foundation is to promote artistic and musical ventures internationally. Privates can support the foundation through donations, getting in exchange a position within the board of directors. During the opening ceremony, the presidency has been offered to the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council
Gianni Letta
Gianni Letta (born 15 April 1935) is an Italian journalist and politician. He is a close advisor of Silvio Berlusconi and a member of the advisory board of Goldman Sachs International.
Biography
After graduating in law, he started working as a ...
, who accepted the role.
References
External links
*
Opera houses in Italy
1883 establishments in Italy
Theatres in Lazio
Theatres completed in 1883
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