The Teatro Re was a theatre in Milan, located near the Piazza del Duomo and named for its proprietor, Carlo Re. It functioned as both a prose theatre and an opera house and saw the world premieres of numerous operas, including four by

Giovanni Pacini Giovanni Pacini (11 February 17966 December 1867) was an Italian composer, best known for his operas. Pacini was born in Catania, Sicily, the son of the buffo Luigi Pacini, who was to appear in the premieres of many of Giovanni's operas. The fami ...

. Designed by

Luigi Canonica (Cristoforo Maria) Luigi Canonica (Tesserete, Canton Ticino, 9 March 1762 – Milan, 7 February 1844) was a Swiss architect and urban planner whose prominent career as an exponent of neoclassicism was spent largely in Milan and Lombardy. He was th ...

, the theatre was inaugurated in 1813, closed in 1872, and demolished in 1879.

History

The Teatro Re was named for its proprietor, Carlo Re, a Milanese businessman and impresario who in his early days had been a shoemaker. Designed by

, the theatre was built on the site of the demolished church of San Salvatore in Xenodochio which had been established in the late 8th century as the chapel for Milan's first orphanage. The building of the theatre began in 1812 and was completed the following year. It was inaugurated on 18 December 1813 with a new production of Rossini's opera ''

Tancredi ''Tancredi'' is a ''melodramma eroico'' ('' opera seria'' or heroic opera) in two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi (who was also to write ''Semiramide'' ten years later), based on Voltaire's play ''Tancrède'' (176 ...

''. Three months later, the first play was presented,

Marie-Joseph Chénier Marie-Joseph Blaise de Chénier (11 February 1764 – 10 January 1811) was a French poet, dramatist and politician of French and Greek origin. Biography The younger brother of André Chénier, Joseph Chénier was born at Constantinople, but ...

's ''Fénelon'' performed by the Ciarli company. Less than half the size of

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

(Milan's main opera house), the Teatro Re had an overall

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 1000 arranged over an upper balcony, three tiers of boxes, and eight rows of seats on the floor of the auditorium. Its lavish interior was designed and decorated by

Alessandro Sanquirico Alessandro Sanquirico (27 July 1777, in Milan – 12 March 1849, in Milan) was an Italian scenic designer, architect, and painter. He began his career in conjunction with leading artists of the time such as Paolo Landriani, Giovanni Pedroni, ...

. The curtain, which depicted the

Judgement of Paris Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle s ...

, was painted by Pasquale Canna, who like Sanquirico, also worked as a set painter and designer for La Scala. The interior of the theatre was refurbished and re-painted in 1836. According to the Italian writer, Marcello Mazzoni (1801–1853), it was long overdue. He wrote the previous year that while the theatre "possesses all the advantages required for the good performance of a comedy, ..it wants cleansing, for it cannot be more wretchedly dirty." From its early days, the theatre was well attended, due partly to its central location but also to its varied repertoire that alternated between opera (both '' buffa'' and ''

seria Seria () is a town in Belait District, Brunei, about west from the country's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population was 3,625 in 2016. It was where oil was first struck in Brunei in 1929 and has since become a centre for the countr ...

'') and plays. It also became a popular gathering place for Milanese intellectuals and patriots. The Teatro Re hosted over 20 world premieres of operas and ballets between 1814 and 1848 and saw performances by some of Italy's most prominent theatre companies, including those of

Carlotta Marchionni Carlotta Marchionni (1796–1864) was an Italian stage actress.Carlotta Marchionni, in Dizionario biografico degli italiani, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana She was the leading lady and premier actress of the Royal Theatre of Sardinia between ...

, Gaetana Goldoni, , and Vestri & Venier. In 1846 Carlo Re ceded management of the theatre to the actor and later to the former singer Teresa Cesarani. During the

revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

, the theatre's repertoire oriented towards works with patriotic themes, such as

Silvio Pellico Silvio Pellico (; 24 June 1789 – 31 January 1854) was an Italian writer, poet, dramatist and patriot active in the Italian unification. Biography Silvio Pellico was born in Saluzzo (Piedmont). He spent the earlier portion of his life at Pin ...

's play ''Francesca da Rimini''. The ''Palestra parlamentaria'', a group of journalists, lawyers, and artists who supported the

first Italian war of independence The First Italian War of Independence ( it, Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Italian Unification (''Risorgimento''), was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other ...

, held its first public meetings at the theatre in May 1848. The Teatro Re's popularity began a slow decline in the second half of the 19th century, and it supplemented its theatrical and operatic productions with acrobatic and science shows. However, the correspondent for ''The Musical World'' wrote as late as 1866 that for drama "the only respectable theatre available n Milanis the Teatro Re, and this is so small that there is never any chance of obtaining a seat unless you are there at the time the doors are opened." Its operatic repertoire also remained adventurous with the theatre presenting the first Italian productions of Offenbach's ''

La belle Hélène ''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy, Helen's elopement with Paris (myt ...

'' in 1867 and Félicien David's ''

Lalla-Roukh ''Lalla-Roukh'' is an '' opéra comique'' in two acts composed by Félicien David. The libretto by Michel Carré and Hippolyte Lucas was based on Thomas Moore's 1817 narrative poem ''Lalla Rookh''. It was first performed on 12 May 1862 by the ...

'' in 1870. The Teatro Re finally closed its doors on 5 June 1872. Its last performance was Rossini's ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

''. For a while some of its repertoire moved to the Nuovo Teatro Re (New Teatro Re) which had been opened in the

Porta Ticinese Porta Ticinese (formerly known as Porta Cicca, and during Napoleonic rule as Porta Marengo)Porta Cicca' (in Italian) is a former city gate of Milan, Italy. The gate, facing south-west, was first created with the Spanish walls of the city, in the 1 ...

district by Carlo Re's son Giovanni in 1864. Slightly larger but less elegant than the old Teatro Re, the Nuovo Teatro Re was in operation until 1887. The building of the original Teatro Re was acquired by the city of Milan and demolished in 1879 during the restructuring of the area around the newly built

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II () is Italy's oldest active shopping gallery and a major landmark of Milan in Italy. Housed within a four-story double arcade in the centre of town, the ''Galleria'' is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first ki ...

Opera premieres

Title page of Luigi V, re di Francia (Alberto Mazzucato)

Operas which had their world premieres at the Teatro Re include: *''Evellina'',

opera seria ''Opera seria'' (; plural: ''opere serie''; usually called ''dramma per musica'' or ''melodramma serio'') is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to abo ...

in 2 acts composed by

Carlo Coccia Carlo Coccia (14 April 1782 – 13 April 1873) was an Italian opera composer. He was known for the genre of opera semiseria. Life and career Coccia was born in Naples, and studied in his native city with Pietro Casella, Fedele Fenaroli, an ...

, libretto by

Gaetano Rossi Gaetano Rossi (; 18 May 1774 – 25 January 1855) was an Italian opera librettist for several of the well-known ''bel canto''-era composers including Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, and Saverio Mercadante in Italy and Giacomo Meyerbeer in on ...

, 26 December 1814 *''La scoperta inaspettata'',

opera buffa ''Opera buffa'' (; "comic opera", plural: ''opere buffe'') is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ''commedia in musica'', ''commedia per musica'', ''dramm ...

in 2 acts composed by Carlo Bigatti, libretto by Francesco Marconi, 1 January 1815 *''Il matrimonio per procura'',

dramma giocoso ''Dramma giocoso'' (Italian, literally: drama with jokes; plural: ''drammi giocosi'') is a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of ''dramma giocoso per musica'' and describes the opera's libretto (text). The ge ...

in 1 act composed by

, libretto by Angelo Anelli, 2 January 1817 *''Dalla beffa il disinganno'', dramma giocoso in 1 act composed by Giovanni Pacini, libretto by Angelo Anelli, 12 January 1817 *''Piglia il mondo come viene'', dramma giocoso in 2 acts composed by Giovanni Pacini, libretto by Angelo Anelli, 28 May 1817 *''Adelaide e Comingio'', opera semi-seria in 2 acts composed by Giovanni Pacini, libretto by Gaetano Rossi, 30 December 1817 * ''Il carnevale di Venezia'', opera buffa in 2 acts composed by Francesco Boyle, libretto by Girolamo Canestrari, 21 January 1819 *''I furbi al cimento'', opera buffa in 2 acts composed by Carlo Bigatti, libretto by Francesco Marconi, 13 February 1819 *''Marsia'', opera in 2 acts composed by Giovanni Arcangelo Gambarana, libretto by "X.Y.Z.", 1 December 1819 *''La festa di Bussone'', opera buffa in 2 acts composed by

Michele Carafa Michele Enrico Francesco Vincenzo Aloisio Paolo Carafa di Colobrano (17 November 1787 – 26 July 1872) was an Italian opera composer. He was born in Naples and studied in Paris with Luigi Cherubini. He was Professor of counterpoint at the Par ...

, libretto by

, 28 June 1820 *''I due sergenti'', opera in 2 acts composed by

Alberto Mazzucato Alberto Mazzucato (28 July 1813 – 31 December 1877) was an Italian composer, music teacher, and writer. Mazzucato was born in Udine. Trained at the Padua Conservatory, he composed eight operas between 1834 and 1843, of which his most succes ...

, libretto by

Felice Romani Giuseppe Felice Romani (31 January 178828 January 1865) was an Italian poet and scholar of literature and mythology who wrote many librettos for the opera composers Donizetti and Bellini. Romani was considered the finest Italian librettist betwe ...

, 27 February 1841 *''Don Papirio sindaco'', opera buffa in 2 acts composed by Giocondo Degola, libretto by Lazzaro Damezzano, 28 July 1841 *''Un duello alla pistola'' opera semi-seria in 2 acts composed by Giocondo Degola, libretto by

Francesco Regli Francesco Regli (1802–1866) was an Italian writer best known today for his extensive biographical dictionary which chronicled the lives and careers of prominent figures in the performing arts in Italy from 1800 to 1860. Described as a "polygraph ...

, 26 December 1841 *''Luigi V, re di Francia'', opera seria in 3 acts, composed by Alberto Mazzucato, libretto by Felice Romani, 25 February 1843 *''Il borgomastro di Schiedam'', opera buffa in 3 acts composed by

Lauro Rossi Lauro Rossi (born in Macerata, 19 February 1810;Some sources say 1812. died in Cremona, 5 May 1885), was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. There is no known connection with Luigi Rossi (1597–1653). Life and career Rossi studied i ...

, libretto by

Giovanni Peruzzini Giovanni Peruzzini (1629–1694) was an Italian painter of the Baroque. His father, Domenico Peruzzini was also a painter. Giovanni was born in Ancona, and became a pupil of Simone Cantarini. In Ancona, he painted a ''Beheading of St. John'' for ...

, 1 June 1844 *''Le due sorelle di Corinto'', opera in 3 acts composed by Giuseppe Devasini, libretto by the composer based on

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...

's ''Die Braut von Corinth'', 5 July 1846, *''Ser Gregorio'', dramma giocoso in 2 acts composed by Giovanni Consolini, librettist unknown, 7 February 1848 * ''Il testamento di Figaro'', opera buffa in 2 acts composed by

Antonio Cagnoni Antonio Cagnoni (8 February 1828 – 30 April 1896) was an Italian composer. Primarily known for his twenty operas, his work is characterized by his use of leitmotifs and moderately dissonant harmonies. In addition to writing music for the sta ...

, libretto by

Callisto Bassi Calisto Bassi (beginning of the 19th century, in Cremona – c. 1860, in Abbiategrasso) was an Italian opera librettist. Bassi wrote many original librettos and was also active as translator into Italian of several librettos from other languages. ...

, 26 February 1848 * ''

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 ...

'', opera semi-seria in 2 acts composed by Jacopo Foroni, libretto by Giorgio Ciacchetti, 8 March 1848 *''Bianca di Belmonte'', opera in 4 acts composed by Giuseppe Devasini, libretto by Alessandro Carozzi, 30 January 1853 *''Claudia'', opera in 3 acts composed by

Emanuele Muzio Donnino Emanuele Muzio (or ''Mussio'') (24 August 1821 in Zibello – 27 November 1890 in Paris) was an Italian composer, conductor and vocal teacher. He was a lifelong friend and the only student of Giuseppe Verdi. Biography In April 1844, Ver ...

, libretto by Giulio Carcano, 7 February 1853

History

Opera premieres

Notes

References

Further reading