When was la scala built

Populated with critical connoisseurs called the loggionisti , these spectators were known to be ruthlessly vocal towards performers, often booing, shouting or whistling. Their feedback would remain an acid test for performers for years to come. La Scala did not just serve as a theatre, however. It also hosted a ballroom, a ceremonial room and, as was the norm for theatres at the time, a casino.

The name of the square dates back to the church of Santa Maria della Scala, dating from , which was once located here. Today, the square refers to the renowned Teatro alla Scala opera house, which occupies the north-western side of the square. When La Scala was built in , it was facing a street rather than a square. Rich noblemen usually sat in loges, while poorer people sat above them, making loud comments and whistling if they disliked an actor.

The building of La Scala theatre was damaged during the bombardment in , and was restored several times afterwards. Giuseppe Verdi was one of the most famous composers who made his debut at La Scala.

Young Giacomo Puccini and Gaetano Donizetti also presented their operas here. The great conductor, Arturo Toscanini, was an important part of La Scala history and world fame. The cost of building the new theatre was borne by the owners of the boxes at the Ducal, in exchange for possession of the land on which stood the church of Santa Maria alla Scala hence the name and for renewed ownership of their boxes.

With the advent of Rossini in La pietra del paragone , the Teatro alla Scala was to become the appointed place of Italian opera seria: of its history dating back more than a century and of its subsequent tradition up till the present. An exceptional new season of serious opera opened between and , with Chiara e Serafina by Gaetano Donizetti and Il pirata by Vincenzo Bellini In Oberto Conte di San Bonifacio inaugurated the cycle of operas by Giuseppe Verdi , the composer whose name is linked more than any other to the history of La Scala.

After the dismal failure of Un giorno di regno, Nabucco was performed in It was the first, decisive triumph of Verdi's career. At the same time, the strong patriotic feelings stirred by Nabucco founded the "popularity" of opera seria and identified its image with the Scala. Arturo Toscanini became the artistic director and introduced radical reform into the theatre, both in its organisational aspects and in its relations with the public. Toscanini, one of the greatest conductors of all time, took up Verdi's musical inheritance and launched a tradition of interpretation that continued uninterruptedly and was renewed during the twentieth century.

It was he who reappraised and regularly performed at the Scala the works of Richard Wagner hitherto only belatedly and inadequately recognised.