La Scala, one of the world’s most celebrated opera theaters, reopened to the public and to music Tuesday after nearly three years of renovation that cost about $67 million.
“We achieved some sort of miracle by finishing work within the deadline. It’s something that all Milanese must be proud of,” said Deputy Mayor Riccardo De Corato as the city celebrated the return home of the Milan company. La Scala performances were held in Milan’s modern Arcimboldi theater after the renovation began in 2002.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi slipped through a side door to avoid protesters who were kept behind iron fences in front of the theater’s main entrance. He hosted several European leaders in the royal box for the gala evening, including Switzerland’s President Joseph Diess and the prime ministers of Croatia, Bulgaria and Albania.
Dignitaries from industrialists to VIPs in fashion and entertainment filled the orchestra seats and first tier loges. Milan’s fashion king Giorgio Armani invited actress Sophia Loren to be his escort for the evening.
“I have not yet seen the renovated theater, but I imagine it’s ‘bellissimo,”’ (very beautiful), Loren said on her arrival.
The opera began on schedule.
Protesters greet politicians, celebsThe area around the theater — near Milan’s Gothic-style cathedral — was closed to traffic with more than 1,000 riot police guarding it against possible protesters. The glamorous night with notables in top drawer attire, including sumptuous furs, has long been a forum for protests.
Tuesday’s opening was no exception, with dozens of anti-Berlusconi protesters shouting insults at the premier.
Laid-off autoworkers waved red flags as they protested “the party of the powerful” and the increasing use of temporary laborers in Italy.
The inauguration of the renewed La Scala comes on the feast day of Milan’s patron saint, St. Ambrose, traditionally reserved for opening night, known here as “la prima.”
The holiday offered downtown Christmas shoppers a look at the theater’s newly painted facade, decorated for the occasion with red roses and green foliage. The 18th-century theater was commissioned in 1773 by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, then ruler of Milan.
Large video screens were set up in Milan’s elegant passageway, the Galleria, opposite La Scala, inside the city’s San Vittore prison, and other places around town.
Salieri's 'Europa Riconosciuta' for the galaMaestro Riccardo Muti, who expressed enthusiasm about the new acoustics following a rehearsal Sunday for theater workers, chose Antonio Salieri’s “Europa Riconosciuta” for the gala performance. The long forgotten work inaugurated the first opening night at La Scala in 1778.
About 1,000 seats, nearly half of those available, were by invitation while the remaining tickets were quickly sold out at prices ranging between $269 to $2,691.
Scalper Dino Tacchinardi says he stayed in line for three nights and four days to secure one of the “cheap” upper circle seats listed at about $67. He was offering the ticket Tuesday outside the theater for $538.
Muti called on sopranos Diana Damrau and Desiree Rancatore to sing the lead roles for the opera in two acts based on Greek mythology.
The theater’s new look includes red velvet for seats and curtains, silk tapestry for the walls, and screens on each seat to follow the libretto in English, French or Italian. A new tower stores sets and modernized scene machinery, allowing La Scala to increase the number of its productions.
Some 1,000 VIPs were invited to a post-performance party in a converted steel factory, which serves as a La Scala warehouse for scenery and costumes. Among the guests were Berlusconi, Muti and Mayor Gabriele Albertini. The menu was put together by Gualtiero Marchesi, one of Italy’s top chefs.