The Teatro Giuseppe Verdi of Trieste is a beautiful pink and white confection just next to Piazza Unita’ often referred to as the “Salotto di Trieste”, (The Drawing Room of Trieste). It is home to the Symphony, Ballet and Opera in Trieste. Under the guidance of Stefano Pace, it’s superintendent, the Verdi has just signed the dynamic and magnetic Ezio Bosso as its new resident conductor (his mandate will last through 2020). This appointment comes after a recent performance in Trieste at the season opener, which was marked with multiple standing ovations for Bosso. Pace began his rise at the San Carlo Opera Theater in Naples, followed by a stints at the Opera National de Paris and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia of Valencia and more recently as the technical director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden of London.
The Verdi is often described as “La Scala on the outside and La Fenice on the inside” and there is a reason for this; Gian Antonio Selva, the architect of the La Fenice in Venice, was hired to design the classic horseshoe-shaped auditorium (the favored style since it was introduced in 1642 in Venice). However, Selva’s exterior designs were considered much too plain for the Austrians who then hired another architect, Matteo Pertsch, who solved the problem by incorporating elements of Milan’s La Scala opera house. The theater inside is the traditional red velvet upholstery with rich decorations throughout and a beautifully ornate ceiling.
Built by a private initiative between 1798 and 1801 it was inaugurated with the name Regio Teatro Nuovo. The first performance was on April 20, 1801 was the debut of Salieri’s Annibale in Capua followed on 21 April 1801 was Ginevra di Scozia by Simon Mayr. The theater changed names several times; from Teatro di Trieste to Teatro Grande in 1820, then, in 1861 it became known as the Teatro Comunale in conjunction with its passage from private to public ownership. On Jan 27 1901 it was renamed Giuseppe Verdi by a specially convened City Council vote held on the very night of the death of the great composer.
The theater holds 1300 spectators and underwent several important renovations; the most important one in 1881 in which the capacity was increased, in 1889 when electricity replaced the gas lighting, and more recently in 1991 and 1997.
Teatro Verdi is internationally renowned for its International festival of the Operetta (1950-2011).
Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi di Trieste
Riva Tre Novembre, 1 Trieste
Tel: +39 040 67 22 111
Email: info@teatroverdi-trieste.com
Ticket Office: 800 898 868 (toll free)
(From outside Italy) +39 040 0648 638 or boxoffice@teatroverdi-trieste.com
Press Office: press@teatroverdi-trieste.com
PS. Special thanks to Jack Devant Ballet Photography http://www.jackdevant.com/ for the photos.
Discover Trieste from those who know it best!! 