The Teatro Regio
Its prestigious history
Its origins
The decision to build a real great opera house at Turin, as in other
capital cities of those times, was made in 1713, when the Dukedom of Savoy
became the Kingdom of Piedmont following on the Treaty of Utrecht and under
the leadership of Vittorio Amedeo II. Many years were to pass however before
the idea of the theatre actually took shape and the King's successor Carlo
Emanuele II only started construction works in 1738. Its function
had been partially fulfilled by the Sala del Teatro Ducale, called Saint
John's Theatre ever since 1678
Designed by Filippo Juvarra and made part of the complex of the Secretariats,
the new theatre was actually built by Benedetto Alfieri. Works started in
1738 and went on so fast that the theatre was already officially opened
on December 26 1749 with the opera Arsace by Francesco Feo on a libretto
by Pietro Metastasio. Born forty years before the Scala, the Teatro Regio
cam boast several hundreds of premières, including Giacomo Puccini's Manon
Lescaut and La Bohème, Richard Strauss' Salomé and the false Scala première
of Giselle, which was actually held at Turin on December 26 1842. The new
theatre could accommodate 2,500 spectators and its hall was considered Europe's
greatest. The most acclaimed names of bel canto and ballet appeared on the
Regio's stage, thus confirming its glorious tradition.
In 1798, during the French occupation of Turin, the theatre was renamed
National; in 1802 it became the Grand Théatre des Arts and in 1804 was called
Théatre Impérial, a name it kept until 1814. Its name returned to Regio
Teatro after the fall of Napoleon and the House of Savoy's return to
the throne of Turin.
In 1838, Pelagio Pelagi introduced a series of modifications to the
theatre's structures. In 1905, Ferdinando Cocito performed a series of imposing
transformation operations to the hall and the stage. In 1924, reinforced
cement was introduced into the scene tower by Giacomo Mattè-Trucco, the
gifted designer of Fiat Lingotto. The Teatro Regio became the temple for
music composed by Wagner and Strauss as well as one of the theatres most
open to the new French Opéra and the new-born Italian Verism School.
The fire... The bombs
The night between February 8 and 9 1936 registered a dramatic event in Turin's cultural and musical life. A raging fire destroyed the Teatro Regio's hall and stage. The World War II bombings of 1942 and 1943 completed the ruin of the building. After various vicissitudes, the reconstruction project was awarded to Architect Carlo Mollino and Engineer Marcello Zavelani-Rossi only in 1966.
The new Teatro Regio
The new Teatro Regio, rebuilt on the same Piazza Castello premises as the old
one, though with some slight changes, is harmoniously part and parcel of
the architectural context of the old square. It was re-opened officially
on the evening of April 10 1973 with Giuseppe Verdi's opera I Vespri Siciliani.
A great bronze sliding railing by Umberto Mastroianni entitled Musical
Odyssey encloses the main entrance hall. The new theatre complex has been
designed and built with the most up to date technologies. By abandoning
the exclusive function of a show theatre it has taken on the more demanding
role of the propulsive centre of Turin's and Piedmont's cultural and artistic
life.
At over a quarter of a millennium from its foundation, the Teatro Regio continues
being a witness of the history and events of Turin, Italy and Europe, with its
activity.
