The Opera At The Arena Of Verona, Between History And Tradition

The Opera At The Arena Of Verona, Between History And Tradition

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The Verona Arena, which is how its commonly called referring to the sand that covered the centre of the amphitheatre, was presumably built around 30 A.C., between the end of Augustus reign and the beginning of Claudius. Like the other amphitheatres, initially it hosted fights and circus shows of various kinds, and depending on the historical period the shows at the Arena have been jousts, hunts and competitions; in Napoleons times the bulls hunt, that were chased by trained dogs. The first time in which was held a theatrical show was on the 24th November 1822: La grande alleanza (the great alliance), by Gaetano Rossini, music by Gioachino Rossini, a choreography with lyrical prelude. The Arena, though, was not consecrated to theatre, yet: in the first half of the XIX century it hosted horse-riding and speed competitions, and Giochino Rossinis music came back to the Arena only in 1842.
Finally, the first opera season arrived in 1856, and the operas were chosen among Donizettis and Lenotti; in 1913 the Arena got the title of the biggest open air lyrical theatre in the world, and that year signed the definitive consecration of Veronas amphitheatre to the theatrical representations.
Tthe most traditional opera to see at the Arena is Verdis Aida, which is scheduled every year; Bizets Carmen opera, though, is often chosen to be part of the calendar as well. Arenas big stage gives the chance to organize breathtaking scenes, which appear to be so real that while Carmen sings out her famous arias the public is totally immerged in Sevilles atmosphere, in the citys square, streets and taverns. The opera is in French, and the show is gorgeous; music, theatre and ballet are mingled together in an incredible show, and once the opera is over, if you will take a walk, youll be able to guess who was in the public: theyll all be humming and whistling the enthralling arias of the opera, like the well known tune of Lamour est un oiseau rebelle...
The Arena opera calendar is always varied, but apart from operas you can choose ballets, symphonic music and concerts of various genres; the only representation repeated yearly is Aida, even though from one year to the other scenes, director and singers change, so that the show is always different. Attending to theatricals at the Arena is an occasion to be seized, and the long experience in the theatrical organization assures a perfect service, that offers solutions to any problem included the cushions, sold or hired, for the people who occupy the places in the non-numerated stands: with no cushions the show may appear much longer than it actually is...
At the Arena Verona opera, ballet and symphonies are a part of the show; the other part that completes it is the Arena itself, which lets the public enter in a unique setting, with its unequalled atmosphere, unrepeatable in any other theatre and indescribable with words...to feel it you have to live it.


About the Author:

By Lia Contesso with support from Verona Aida for any information, please visit Spettacoli Arena or for more info visit Verona opera.



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