Teatro di San Carlo Facts for Kids

Exterior of the Teatro di San Carlo

Top floor of the Teatro di San Carlo

Interior view on to the royal box

View from the royal box

Royal coat of arms above proscenium

The Teatro di San Carlo is a very old and famous opera house in Naples, Italy. It's connected to the Royal Palace and is the oldest opera house in the world that's still open! It first opened its doors in 1737, long before other famous opera houses like La Scala.

The opera season at San Carlo usually runs from late November to July. The ballet season takes place from December to early June. The theatre used to hold over 3,000 people, but now it has 1,386 seats. Because of its large size and long history, it became a model for many other theatres built across Europe.

History of the Teatro di San Carlo
Famous Composers and Singers
- Composers at San Carlo
Decline and Revival
Conductors
Images for kids
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History of the Teatro di San Carlo

The Teatro di San Carlo was built for King Charles VII of Naples. He was a king from the Bourbon family. He wanted Naples to have a grand new theatre. The old one, called Teatro San Bartolomeo, was too small and falling apart.

The new theatre opened on November 4, 1737. This was the king's special "name day." The first show was an opera called Achille in Sciro. It was written by Domenico Sarro. The show also featured famous singers like Vittoria Tesi.

Building the First Teatro di San Carlo

A military architect named Giovanni Antonio Medrano designed the new opera house. Angelo Carasale helped create the beautiful decorations inside. The theatre's special horseshoe shape is the oldest of its kind in the world.

Building the theatre cost a lot of money, about 75,000 ducats. It was 28.6 meters long and 22.5 meters wide. It had 184 private boxes and a special royal box for the king. In total, it could seat 1,379 people. With standing room, over 3,000 people could watch a show!

People admired the theatre's design, its gold decorations, and its blue seats. Blue and gold were the Bourbon family's official colors. The theatre was so grand that the king could easily see everyone from his private box.

In 1809, Domenico Barbaia became the manager of the royal opera houses in Naples. He was in charge until 1841. He became known for putting on amazing shows. This brought many people and famous singers to the theatre.

Fire and Rebuilding of the Opera House

Teatro San Carlo, Naples after the 1816 fire

On February 13, 1816, a fire broke out during a ballet practice. It quickly spread and destroyed part of the building.

King Ferdinand IV, another Bourbon king, ordered the theatre to be rebuilt. Antonio Niccolini was the architect. Manager Barbaia helped rebuild the opera house in just ten months!

The rebuilt theatre kept its horseshoe shape and had 1,444 seats. The stage was very large, 34.5 meters deep. Niccolini added beautiful decorations inside. The ceiling painting, showing "Apollo presenting to Minerva the greatest poets of the world," was painted by the Cammarano family.

Teatro San Carlo in 1830

On January 12, 1817, the theatre reopened with an opera called Il sogno di Partenope. A writer named Stendhal visited and said, "There is nothing in all Europe... which gives the slightest idea of what it is like... it dazzles the eyes, it enraptures the soul..."

In 1844, the theatre was redecorated again. This time, the inside changed to the famous red and gold colors we often see in opera houses.

Modern Changes and Renovations

Over the years, some changes were made. An orchestra pit was added in 1872. Electricity was installed in 1890, and the big central chandelier was removed. New dressing rooms were also built.

During World War II, bombs damaged the opera house in 1943. After Naples was freed, a soldier named Peter Francis helped fix the building. Just three weeks later, it reopened with a musical show. The first opera, La bohème, was performed on December 26, 1943.

The renovated auditorium in 2009

By the early 2000s, the theatre was showing its age. The stage equipment was old, and it didn't have air conditioning. So, the government funded a big renovation project. It cost 67 million euros!

The renovation took place over six months in 2008 and six months in 2009. They restored the beautiful decorations and built a new rehearsal hall. The opera house reopened on January 27, 2010, with Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito.

Famous Composers and Singers

Naples was once a very important center for opera in Europe. Many famous composers and singers came from or worked in Naples.

Composers at San Carlo

From 1815 to 1822, Gioachino Rossini was the main composer and artistic director for the royal opera houses, including San Carlo. He wrote ten operas during this time, including Otello and Mosè in Egitto.

After Rossini left, Gaetano Donizetti took over. He worked in Naples from 1822 to 1838. Donizetti wrote sixteen operas for the theatre. His most famous one is Lucia di Lammermoor (1835).

Vincenzo Bellini, another great Italian composer, also had his first opera, Bianca e Fernando, performed at San Carlo.

Giuseppe Verdi also had a connection to the theatre. His opera Alzira was written for San Carlo in 1845. Another opera, Luisa Miller, followed in 1849.

Many famous singers performed at San Carlo. These included Isabella Colbran, Maria Malibran, and Giovanni Battista Rubini.

Decline and Revival

When Italy became one country in 1861, Naples lost its top spot as the music capital. Power and money moved north, and La Scala in Milan became more important. In 1874, the theatre even had to close for a year because it didn't have enough money.

However, the theatre's luck improved. Composers like Giacomo Puccini, Pietro Mascagni, and Ruggero Leoncavallo helped bring new life to San Carlo by staging their operas there.

In the late 1800s, the theatre created its own orchestra. This helped attract famous conductors like Arturo Toscanini and Richard Strauss. They helped expand the types of music performed at the opera house.

One famous singer who stopped performing in Naples was Enrico Caruso. He was from Naples, but after being booed by some audience members during a show, he promised never to return.