Editing La Scala (section)

==History==
{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2017|reason=6 paragraphs without citations}}
[[File:XIX century print, Piazza della Scala, Milano.jpg|thumb|left|300px|A nineteenth-century depiction of the Teatro alla Scala]]
A fire destroyed the previous theatre, the [[Teatro Regio Ducale]], on 25 February 1776, after a [[carnival]] gala. A group of ninety wealthy Milanese, who owned private boxes in the theatre, wrote to [[Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este]] asking for a new theatre and a provisional one to be used while completing the new one. The [[neoclassicism|neoclassical]] architect [[Giuseppe Piermarini]] produced an initial design. However, it was rejected by Count Firmian (the governor of the then Austrian [[Lombardy]]).

A second plan was accepted in 1776 by Empress [[Maria Theresa of Austria|Maria Theresa]]. The new theatre was built on the former location of the church of [[Santa Maria della Scala, Milan|Santa Maria della Scala]], from which the theatre gets its name. The church was deconsecrated and demolished. Over a period of two years, the theatre was completed by Pietro Marliani, Pietro Nosetti, and Antonio and Giuseppe Fe. The theatre had a total of "3,000 or so" seats{{sfn|Beauvert|Moatti|Kleinefenn|1995|p=80}} organized into 678 pit-stalls, arranged in six tiers of boxes above which is the 'loggione' or two galleries. Its stage is one of the largest in Italy (16.15m d x 20.4m w x 26m h).

Building expenses were covered by the sale of boxes, which were lavishly decorated by their owners, impressing observers such as [[Stendhal]]. La Scala (as it came to be known) soon became the preeminent meeting place for noble and wealthy Milanese people. In the tradition of the times, the main floor had no chairs, and spectators watched the shows standing up. The orchestra was in full sight, as the orchestra pit had not yet been built. As with most of the theatres at that time, La Scala was also a [[casino]], with gamblers sitting in the foyer.{{sfn|Mallach|2007|p=165}} Conditions in the auditorium, too, could be frustrating for the opera lover, as [[Mary Shelley]] discovered in September 1840:

<blockquote>At the Opera they were giving [[Otto Nicolai]]'s ''[[Il templario|Templario]]''. Unfortunately, as is well known, the theatre of La Scala serves, not only as the universal drawing-room for all the society of Milan but every sort of trading transaction, from horse-dealing to [[stockjobber|stock-jobbing]], is carried on in the pit; so that brief and far between are the snatches of melody one can catch.{{sfn|Shelley|1844|p=111}}</blockquote>

La Scala was originally illuminated with 84 oil lamps mounted on the stage and another thousand in the rest of the theatre. To reduce the risks of fire, several rooms were filled with hundreds of water buckets. In time, oil lamps were replaced by gas lamps; these, in turn, were replaced by electric lights in 1883.
[[File:Milano Teatro alla Scala Postkarte 001.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Interior of the opera house in 1900]]
The original structure was renovated in 1907 when it was given its current layout with 1,987 seats. In 1943, during [[World War II]], La Scala was severely damaged by [[Bombing of Milan in World War II|bombing]]. It was rebuilt and reopened on 11 May 1946, with a memorable concert conducted by [[Arturo Toscanini]]—twice La Scala's principal conductor and an associate of the composers [[Giuseppe Verdi]] and [[Giacomo Puccini]]—with a soprano solo by [[Renata Tebaldi]], which created a sensation.

La Scala hosted the first productions of many famous operas and had a special relationship with Verdi. However, for several years, Verdi did not allow his work to be played here, as some of his music had been modified (he said "corrupted") by the orchestra. This dispute originated in a disagreement over the production of his ''[[Giovanna d'Arco]]'' in 1845; however, the composer later conducted his ''[[Requiem (Verdi)|Requiem]]'' there on 25 May 1874. He announced in 1886 that La Scala would host the premiere of what was to become his penultimate opera, ''[[Otello]]''.{{sfn|Kelly|2004|p=317}} The premiere of his last opera, ''[[Falstaff (opera)|Falstaff]]'' was also given in the theatre.

===Filarmonica della Scala===

In 1982, the Filarmonica della Scala orchestra was established to develop a symphonic repertoire to add to La Scala's operatic tradition,<ref name=filarmonica>{{Cite web |title=Filarmonica della Scala – About Us, History |website=filarmonica.it |access-date=27 October 2020 |url=https://www.filarmonica.it/biografia.php?lang=en |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031021124/https://www.filarmonica.it/biografia.php?lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref> the orchestra drawing its members from the larger pool of musicians that comprise the Orchestra della Scala. The Filarmonica was conducted first by [[Carlo Maria Giulini]], then by [[Riccardo Muti]], plus many collaborative relations with some of the greatest conductors of the time.<ref name=filarmonica/>