Italy today celebrates the 230th anniversary of the legendary opera house"La Scala".
Throughout its two-century history, the Milan theater has remained the center of world opera. A performance on its stage is considered the main event in the life of any artist. Such stars of the world opera scene as Enrique Caruso, Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Fyodor Chaliapin, Leonid Sobinov and many others lit up here.
La Scala (“scala” means stairs in Italian) got its name from the church of Santa Maria della Scala, on the site of which it was founded in 1776 new theater. The building in the neoclassical style was built according to the design of the architect Giuseppe Piermarini in a record time for that time - 15 months.
For its opening, which took place on August 3, 1778, Antonio Salieri specially wrote the opera “Recognized Europe”. The theater's impeccable acoustics were simply created for opera performances. Throughout the 19th century, operas by both Italian and foreign composers were staged on its stage. Among them were Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky.
And in 1887, twenty-year-old Arturo Toscanini, who later became the theater’s chief conductor, took the helm for the first time at La Scala. At that time there was no orchestra pit; it appeared at La Scala only in 1907, and until then the orchestra sat practically in the stalls.
Despite his world fame, the opera house was not very spacious. There were only two chairs for ladies in the boxes; the rest of the visitors had to watch the performance while standing.
The lighting in the hall was rather poor. When candles were lit in the boxes, those sitting in the stalls did not risk taking off their hats, as melted wax would drip onto them.
The theater building has been restored more than once. During World War II, La Scala was heavily damaged during bombing. The Italian engineer Seki managed to restore the theater to its original form. On May 11, 1946, it opened with a concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini with solo soprano Renata Tebaldi.
In 1951, an event occurred on the stage of La Scala that determined the fate of the theater for several years to come. The diva of the theater was the Greek singer Maria Callas. The theater specially invited famous directors and conductors to stage performances with Callas’s participation.
Many fans of the singer sought to occupy the upper tiers, as they knew that it was there that Maria Callas directed all the power of her voice. For her, there was a special point on the stage, called “C-point” among experts, which was located a little closer to the backstage to the left of the viewer.
La Scala has become the most important stage in the careers of several generations of domestic artists. In September 1964, the theater came to Moscow for the first time and showed its opera masterpieces on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, followed by a return visit of the Bolshoi Opera Company to Milan.
IN Soviet era Tamara Sinyavskaya, Zurab Sotkilava and Muslim Magomaev interned at La Scala.
The internship in Milan had a huge influence on Magomayev’s work: he forever remained a supporter of the Italian school of singing, admiring the work of Beniamino Gigli, Gino Becchi, Tito Gobbi, Mario Del Monaco...
The tradition of creative visits between the two theaters is still maintained. In 2006, this star union received official registration: the Bolshoi Theater of Russia and Milan's La Scala entered into a cooperation agreement until 2010.
In May 2007, the Bolshoi Ballet went to Milan. Russian artists were able to perform on the La Scala stage for the first time after reconstruction. Four years ago, the stage of the theater was tripled, and the stage mechanism was completely re-equipped, which made it possible to present three different operas simultaneously on one day.
Maria Alexandrova, Svetlana Lunkina, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Sergei Filin, Yuri Klevtsov and Svetlana Zakharova performed at the new stage of the La Scala Theater "Arcimboldi".
For the prima of the Bolshoi Theater Svetlana Zakharova, the tour in Milan was marked by a unique event. For the first time in history, a Russian ballerina received the honor of becoming a star of Milan's La Scala theater. Zakharova appeared on the stage of the legendary theater in the role of Odette-Odile in “Swan Lake”. The Russian star’s partner was the best dancer in Italy, Roberto Bole.
The material was prepared by the Internet editors of www.rian.ru based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources.
Availability of materials
The possibility of digitizing in HD needs to be clarified.Director: Repnikov S.
Operators: Zakharova G., Khavchin A.
Annotation
About the tour Italian theater La Scala in Moscow.
Historical background
In September-October 1964, artists from the famous Milanese theater La Scala toured Moscow.
Temporary Description
A film about the tour to Moscow in the fall of 1964 of the Milanese opera house La Scala. Artists of La Scala at the airport. Theater posters, starting from the 40s of the 19th century. Interior views of the Bolshoi Theater. Italian and Soviet artists at a reception in the Kremlin. Soviet artists greet the Italians on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Fragments from the operas "Turandot", "The Bride of Lamermoor", "The Barber of Seville". Performed (synchronously in Italian): B. Nilsson, R. Scotto, M. Gumelmi, L. Price, N. Gyaurov. They talk (synchronously) about the art of opera: singer I. Petrov, conductor K. Kondrashkin, chief director Bolshoi Theater I. Tumanov. Italy, Milan. Internal view Theater "La Scala".
Part (film) No. 1
Meeting of La Scala artists in Moscow at the airport.
A group of Soviet artists greets guests.
Illustrious Italian singers Renata Scotto, Mirella Freni, Fiorenza Cosotto, Leontina Price, Edda Vinchezzi - Wed, cr.
Rolando Panerai.
Swedish singer B. Nilsson, Bruno Pravedi, Margarita Gulelmi, Piero Capucilli are passing along Gorky Street - Wed, total.
Bulgarian singer Nikolai Gyaurov in the artistic dressing room - kr.
Close-up of tenor Gianni Raimondi
Chief conductor of La Scala Nino Sanzoño, Maestro Gavazenny - cf.
Outstanding conductor Gerber von Karajan and general director of the theater Antonio Ghirenghelli.
The title of the film is the inscription “La Scala in Moscow.”
A group of Italian artists near the Bolshoi Theater.
Guests nearby theater poster"La Scala".
Poster of Italian opera of the last century.
Graphics: scenery for scenes of Italian operas performed on the Moscow stage (dissolves).
Photo: Giuseppe Verdi in a sleigh wearing a fur coat (during his visit to Russia for the premiere of his opera “Force of Destiny”).
Photo: Enrico Caruso writes, hitting, etc. according to what was written (in Italian, signature in Russian).
Portrait of Tomagno, painted by Serov (Othello).
Portrait of Adeline Patti, influx of portrait of Stanislavsky (young) - impact.
Photo: Mario Sammarco as Eugene Onegin, Batistini as “The Demon” (Rubinstein’s opera).
Photo Leonid Sobinov in Milan with Roizna Storchio in Donizetti's opera Don Pasquale.
F. Chaliapin in “The Barber of Seville” on the stage of La Scala (impact).
Portrait of Chaliapin (collision).
Hall "La Scala" in Milan, Poland in the boxes - commonly.
La Scala Theater.
Bolshoi Theater.
USSR Minister of Culture E.A. applauds. Furtseva and the Italian Ambassador to the USSR.
Italian and Soviet artists at a reception in the Kremlin.
Soviet artists greet guests on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.
Cars are driving up to the Bolshoi Theater, people are at the theater - Wed, total.
Poster of the Italian opera "Turandot" by Giacomo Puccini.
Scenery for the opera.
Scene of riddles from the opera “Tarandot” (Princess Turandot - Brigitte Nilsson) (synchronously).
The audience applauds.
The artists take their bows
Part (film) No. 2
Famous Soviet singer Ivan Petrov talks about the secret of the Italian “Bel Canto” - beautiful singing (synchronously).
The pages of Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor are turning.
Illustrations for the book.
Scenery for Donizetti's opera "Lucia di Lammermoor", created by a Russian artist Alexander Benois– decorations of a castle, garden, room.
Artists on stage.
The scene of Lucia's madness performed by R. Scotto (synchronously).
The audience applauds.
Young singer Margarita Gulelmi on the street - Wed, cr.
M. Gulelmi makes his debut as Lucia (synchronously).
Setting up the scenery for the dress rehearsal of The Barber of Seville.
The actors are putting on makeup.
Interview with the chief director of the Bolshoi Theater I. Tumanov (synchronously).
Scene from the opera “The Barber of Seville” - the role of Rosina is performed by F. Cosotto (synchronously).
Part (film) No. 3
Scene from the opera “The Barber of Seville” - role of Rosina
performed by F. Cosotto (synchronously).
Soviet singer N. Gyaurov (Don Basilio) is putting on makeup.
Direct fire from GUM to La Scala theater
GUM is not just the main department store, but one of the historical symbols of Moscow along with the Kremlin and the Bolshoi Theater. It is impossible to visit Red Square without visiting GUM. The beautiful building, designed by architect Pomerantsev with a unique glass roof designed by engineer Shukhov, was flooded with crowds of buyers and endless queues for shortages during Soviet times. Today you can walk around GUMU as if you were walking through a museum of expensive things - it’s very beautiful. Ordinary people can also join in - they don’t take money to watch and ask. In addition, the vast territory of the main trading city is full of cute cafes, and at every step there is the famous multi-colored ice cream. Thanks to Mikhail Kusnirovich, the head of the Bosco di Ciliegi company, who became the main shareholder of the GUM Trading House in 2005, the store has long been hosting exhibitions and various interesting events Open festival“Cherry Forest”, and this is another reason to visit the good old GUM on Red Square...
On May 23, the Bolshoi Theater of Russia and GUM signed an agreement, according to which GUM became a long-term partner of the Bolshoi Theater and the general sponsor of the autumn tour of the La Scala Theater in Moscow.
Enlightened Russian philanthropists have always been partial to theater arts. In 2003, Mikhail Kusnirovich returned to the Bolshoi Theater to carry out the most fantastic joint projects. It is interesting that the working career of one of the largest entrepreneurs in Russia began precisely in the Bolshoi, where in the second half of the eightieshe served as a janitor.Mikhail Ernestovich is so proud of his first entry in the work book that he did not miss the opportunity to demonstrate his temporary pass from those years. After this, Vladimir Urin, general director Bolshoi Theater, there was nothing left to do but promise in front of everyone that he would issue a new pass to Mikhail Kusnirovich.
So, a multi-year partnership agreement was signed with the Bolshoi Theater, and the head of the Bosco di Ciliegi group of companies emphasized: “There are two iconic institutions on the territory of our capital. Bolshoi Theater -our most iconic global brand and GUM – the main store of the country...”
The beginning of cooperation was marked by a striking event in the cultural life of the two countries. As part of the Open Arts Festival " Chereshnevy Les“With the assistance of the Embassy of the Italian Republic in Russia and personally Mr. Ambassador Cesare Maria Ragaglini, a tour of the world famous Milan theater La Scala will take place on the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater from September 10 to 16. The operas “Messa da Requiem” and “Simon Boccanegra” by Giuseppe Verdi will be performed, as well as a concert of Italian music. The Bosco di Ciliegi group of companies has become the general sponsor of a week-long tour of the great La Scala theater, which will come to Moscow. Director of the Bolshoi Theater Vladimir Urin said that the Moscow and Milan theaters share half a century of friendly relations: “I really wanted these creative contacts to continue. In the new economic conditions, when it is so difficult to find financing that allows such exchanges, I am happy that in the person of the GUM company we have found a faithful partner who is ready to support the tours of the La Scala Theater in Moscow and others interesting projects Big..."
Then Mikhail Kusnirovich solemnly announced that the Bolshoi Theater box office will begin operating directly on the first line of GUM (at the address: Red Square, building 3) from May 23, 2016. And right now you can buy tickets not only for performances of the Bolshoi Theater, but also for touring performances of the La Scala Theatre. By autumn, an interesting La Scala store with original posters, recordings and videos will appear in the center of GUM near the fountain. How GUM itself will be transformed, the main shareholder decided to keep secret for now. “If everything goes well, the tour is sold out, the box office is full, they might be able to give me a pass like I had. I don’t pretend to anything more...” Mikhail Kusnirovich became modest.
“The tour of Milan's Teatro La Scala in the program of the 2016 season will give us all the opportunity to plunge into the refined atmosphere Italian art..." - notedEdith Kusnirovich, dDirector of the Chereshnevy Les Open Arts Festival.
Hurry up, lovers of Italian art, tickets are available at the box office!
