Milan, Italy: Visiting La Scala

Visiting La Scala

March 2016, Milan (Italy)

My story about visiting Teatro alla Scala in Milan during Placido Domingo's performance in Verdi's 'I due Foscari'. 

La Scala has always been a must-see place in Milano. The world’s most notable and famous tenors are common guests on the theater’s stage so it’s possible your next Milan trip to falls on a big opera show. The same happened to me in March, when a recent trip to Milan coincided with Verdi’s "I Due Foscari". Since I got only 1 night in Milan because of a transfer flight on the next day, the best I could do was to check the Theaher’s Calendar for Season 2015/2016 operas on their website. So I got luck and that night was scheduled for Placido Domingo’s role in a famous historical tragedy.

Once you have the exact dates for next Milano trip, you need to buy tickets as soon as possible. It can be done online through La Scala’s website. Depending the time before the performance you make a purchase, the ticket will be delivered by mail or you have to collect it up to 1 hour before the start. Keep in mind that many of the cheapest tickets for the balconies are being sold out very quickly. Also some visitors have season tickets so don’t let obtaining a tickets for the last moment.  Prices vary, for some event cheapest seats cost €15, and for events like season opening the pit stalls’ seats are up to € 2000.

As the opera starts at 8 PM, I went to Piazza Della Scala a hour and a half before to collect my ticket from the box office on the left side by the theatre. At 7.30 PM doors opened and the queue of visitors begins to enter. I can already notice how different the audience is- dressed from a simple sweater and jeans to an impressive designer suits and dresses. Once I entered inside, the staff directs you down the stairs to the stalls or up to the boxes and galleries. My ticket is for “Platea Destra” in front of the orchestra so after few stairs down and then up to the stalls I can see the La Scala’s elegance in its full splendor. Really impressive!

The whole interior is marked by red velvet – an upholstered chairs and the solid stage curtain stands out even more at all the golden decorations in neoclassical style. In the past, the stalls were a standing area, and the hall was lit by candlesticks from the balconies. So the aristocracy had often went home filthy with wax after performance. Afterwards the golden chairs were placed on the stalls and candlesicks were replaced by oil lamps, before the electricity came. The impressive chandelier in the middle of the hall were made by Bohemian crystal in 1860 in Venice by local artisans and contains exactly 365 lamps.

The total capacity of La Scala is 2200 seats of which 678 are orchestra seats or so called ‘pit stalls’ (platea) The rest are spread over 6 floors of which first 4 floors are boxes (Palcho I, Paclho II, Palcho III and Palcho IV) and the rest 2 floors are gallery ones (Prima Galeria and Seconda Galeria). Respectively, most expensive are the pit stalls’ tickets and the cheapest are for the galleries. The best seats are in so called ‘Palco Reale’ or the Royal box which is opposite the stage. There are only 20 seats in this box and they have always been reserved for certain circle of people. Not too many people over the past had the chance to seat there – only aristocratic families like Savoy or Habsburg dynasty and now it’s reserved for the authorities.

The sound quality is at the highest level and the good acoustics has been set by the construction. The hall is in a classic Italian horseshoe shape which appeared for the first time in 1737 by Naples’ Royal Theatre of Saint Charles. The horseshoe shaped auditoriums has the best acoustics and since then it became a model for many opera stages in the world. La Scala was built between 1776-1778 by design of architect Giuseppe Piermarin. La Scala reflects the desire of Milan’s aristocracy to have its social playground – it was built entirely on donations from about 90 noble families.

Many changes were made over the years at La Scalla, but without changing its original neoclassical style.At the beginning, the orchestra pit was on the stage level, but afterwards was moved one level below. The theatre’s roof were destroyed by World War II bombings, but restored soon after. The last major reconstruction was in 2004, worth more than 60 million euros, financed in part by the government of Milan's mayor Gabriele Albertini. Between April 2002 and December 2014, La Scala was closed and performances were held at the newly built Teatro degli Arcimboldi.Mario Botta served as the project architect, he stripped away red carpeting to show its original Venetian marble floors and added some technology like dual-language electronic libretto. Because of the loggionisti at the galleries were placed seats to the floor, until then it was a standing area.

Speaking of the loggionisti, they are the Milanese opera fans who occupies the gallery seats, who boo even Luciano Pavarotti and because of them many booed tenors refuse to return. They played their important role in La Scala’s history as an opera critics and even have made an association named ‘Amici del Loggione’. According to loggionisti, stalls’ (platea) spectators go there to show their new outfit and not because of the performance. Once Riccardo Muti had to address the loggionisti at La Scala during a performance, urging them not to turn the Verdi into a circus. Theatre’s administration takes many measures  to restrain them, including appeals for refusing of applause instead of booing when they are not satisfied by the performance. So here am I, waiting for their reaction during Placido Domingo’s baritone role in “I Due Foscari”.

Already 8:10 PM and soon after the second call, the hall is quickly filled with visitors. Along with ‘Rigoletto’ these are among the most anticipated operas this season. There are no longer any empty seats the lights are extinguished and after announcing the recording prohibition, the opera starts. The curtain slowly moves to set the beginning of the show. Placido Domingo plays the old Doge Francesco Foscari (baritone), Francesco Melli is Jackopo Foscari (tenor) and Anna Pirozzi has a soprano role of Lucrecia Contarini.

“I Due Foscari” is a based on a true story in Early Venetian Renaissance. The story takes us back in 1456 in Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) in Venice. Francesco Foscari is doge of Venice and tries to save his son Jackopo from lifetime imprisonment on Crete. Jackopo is accused of conspiring with Filippo Maria Visconti, the Milanese enemy of Venice. Although his father is a doge, Jackopo faces the powerful and secretive Council of Ten. They ensure that both patricians and plebeians are treated equally. Despite the witness testimonies of his father Francesco and his wife Lucrezia, Jackopo is sentenced to imprisonment on Crete. A Jackopo’s letter to the Duke of Milan was presented by the Court as an evidence of his treachery. Subsequently it turns out that he is innocent but it’s too late and he dies in exile following Francesco’s resignation as doge. Francesco died a week later provoking a public outcry so he was given a state funeral despite his strained relations with the Council.

That story inspired the leading British Romanticism poet Lord Byron to publish his “The Two Foscari: An Historical Tragedy” in late 1821.

Around 20 years later, one of the darkest and saddest operas by Verdi was first premiered in Rome's Teatro Argentina to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. The whole cast’s performance is flawless, all visitors are satisfied and a loud “Bravo!” coming from the balconies is a clear proof. Despite his 71 years, Placido Domingo continues to be not just the best tenor, but probably the best male opera singer at all. And the critical audience of La Scala pays their tribute to him.

Shortly after 11 PM opera ends followed by loud applauses for the whole cast and then people begin to leave. Away from the encyclopedic knowledge of loggionisti, an ordinary visitor like me could just evoke within me another “Bravo! Bravissimo, Placido!” before leaving this compelling place.

This article was originally published in The Economist's magazine Bulgarian issue No. 14, April 2016 in the series 'Cultiral Travel Guide'.

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Credits: Lucilla Castellari (Ufficio Stampa Teatro alla Scala)