The proposal to build a new theater in Busseto dates back to 1845, intended to replace the existing one in the fortress, which local historians describe as small, indecent, and almost unusable. Seletti wrote about it: “its construction would not merit a word of remembrance, but it was a gymnasium for philharmonic rehearsals, dramatic, and musical performances both by amateur citizens and talented companies.” In particular, Adelaide Ristori acted here in her youth, Provesi staged his comic operas on these stages, and Verdi his first compositions. From a plan of the Ducal Fortress of Busseto preserved in the State Archive of Parma, we can note its shape and location: placed on the first floor, in the same wing where the “Verdi” theater would be built, it was quite small in stage and auditorium size, with a U-shaped layout and boxes.
In 1856, the Municipality purchased the ancient medieval fortress, already the seat of the Pallavicino court, from the State Property for L. 36,000. Following this event, the idea of building a new, larger theater was revived, finding here, considering the particular importance of this historic building in the urban fabric, a suitable location. It must be emphasized that the drive and the fundamental reasons for the construction of this new theater lay in the dedication, by the people of Busseto, to their fellow citizen Verdi, who around the middle of the last century, at the height of his fame, achieved thrilling successes.
The project was entrusted to architect Pier Luigi Montecchini of Parma, with some conditions such as preserving most of the existing materials and walls and making the most economical choices, but on the other hand, it was recommended to create a splendid and elegantly decorated place worthy of the maestro to whom it was dedicated.
The project was ratified by the City Council on June 18, 1857, and the construction was entrusted to the Busseto entrepreneur Girolamo Sivelli. Some local craftsmen were called to execute less significant works, while proven and experienced workers were employed for the more demanding and specialized parts. For example, Giuseppe Carletti of Parma was entrusted with the carved parts, Pietro Vasini and Germano Anfossi with gilding, Ferdinando Accarini of Busseto with scenery and everything related to the stage, lighting was assigned to a Milanese company, and Gaetano Mastellari of Parma to the stage mechanism. The pictorial decoration was entrusted to two distinguished Busseto artists, Gerolamo Gelati and Gioacchino Levi; the former did not complete the work as he died in 1865 and was replaced by the Parmesan painters Giuseppe Baisi and Alessandro Malpeli. Gioacchino Levi, who was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the hall, was already an established artist with no restrictions and chose the subject himself. As is known, he depicted in four large medallions four splendid allegorical figures representing Comedy, Tragedy, Melodrama, and Romantic Drama.
The inauguration took place on August 15, 1868, with performances of Rigoletto and Un ballo in maschera, amid great exaltation for the genius of the Maestro to whom the theater is naturally dedicated. The ladies in the audience wore green dresses and the men green ties, yet the musician was absent, not only due to his many commitments but also because of a series of disputes with the local authorities, which is not appropriate to detail here (see Napolitano, 1968, pp. 35 onward).
As we have seen, the theater was built by dismantling part of the medieval Pallavicino fortress and involved a reconstruction and a striking neo-medieval style adaptation (very much in vogue at the time) of the exterior, a work that Seletti judged very harshly. Comparing the current state of the theater with descriptions from contemporary chroniclers, especially Paolo Pio De Male, who probably followed the building events with great commitment, we note that the overall structure has undergone few and very limited changes since its foundation. Only the functional uses of some rooms have changed, such as the waiting room, tavern, orchestra room, and stove room; moreover, some parts on the upper floors, intended to be housing for comedic companies, have been occupied, especially in our century, by private apartments.
On the ground floor, a short portico leads to the box office and lobby, from which the staircase goes up to the auditorium floor, where the bar and the richly decorated foyer rooms are also located. The theater hall has a horseshoe shape and wooden flooring, thirty-two wooden boxes on two levels, plus the royal box and a gallery level. The decoration of the boxes consists of golden stuccoes, inspired by Renaissance tradition, replicated on the stage arch, where plaster effigies of musicians are placed at regular intervals, with a clock at the apex. In the center of the ceiling decorated by Levi hangs a 19th-century chandelier with glass globes.
The stage, which preserves the original wooden structure, is equipped with an under-stage area, dressing rooms, a large room once intended for set designers, and a storage room; it is also connected to the outside via an independent staircase. The sets for Falstaff directed by maestro Toscanini, created in 1926 by Marchioro, a scenographer at La Scala in Milan, are still preserved and sometimes used, along with a thunder machine and three hoists of different sizes.
In 1987, the theater was closed due to unfitness by the Civil Engineering Corps and the Fire Brigade. Until then, it had hosted a regular opera season and was a popular destination for music enthusiasts (about thirty thousand people annually). Architect Pier Luigi Cervellati, responsible for the restoration, noted at the project’s start a severely compromised static situation caused by time damage and subsidence.
In 1857, the construction of the new theater caused an addition to the original ancient building, provoking new settling in naturally subsidence-prone ground. A fracture line in the central area of the theater, where the new joins the old, caused large detachment lines in the vaults and large medieval sack walls, which were statically broken into blocks not connected to one another. Furthermore, the entire complex was no longer compliant regarding fire protection devices, escape routes, and the removal of architectural barriers. Finally, the decorative apparatus and historic furnishings were severely damaged due to age and neglect.
The restoration project, adopted since 1985, included all necessary interventions to make the theater perfectly usable and functional, as well as the restoration of all present decorative elements. The recovery plan also included some ground floor rooms that had been used as archives, offices, and garages, allowing the creation of large exhibition spaces, which for four months a year become the home of the Verdi Vocal Masterclass, directed by maestro Bergonzi.
The recovery work, begun in 1988 and carried out in successive phases, led to the definitive consolidation of vertical and horizontal structures, restoration of all dilapidated parts, replacement of terracotta flooring, and installation of a new plant system (heating, electrical, water, fire prevention, etc.) according to current regulations.
Additionally, all theater window frames were restored and reconstructed philologically, an elevator certified for the disabled was installed, and where possible, the evacuation stairs were recovered or rebuilt to code. To prepare fire escape stairs for the gallery and the two tiers of boxes, a spectacular fireproof glulam wood structure inspired by Leonardo da Vinci was built outside on the east side, cleared of 20th-century additions.
The restoration was completed in 2000 with the completion of all works related to the theater hall and stage, including fireproofing, compliance of furnishings, restoration of murals, stuccos, gold decorations, and wallpapers. A mobile platform also allows for varying the auditorium’s capacity depending on whether the orchestra pit is extended.
The original stage equipment (grid, hoists, ropes, etc.), sliding wings beneath the stage, velaries, curtain, and valances have also been restored. Since the winter of 2000, a season has been programmed, and from January 2001, on the occasion of the centenary of Giuseppe Verdi’s death (which occurred in Milan on January 27, 1901), the theater calendar became particularly rich and significant. Notably, an extraordinary edition of Aida took place precisely on January 27, directed with sets by Franco Zeffirelli, as well as the subsequent performance of Falstaff conducted by Riccardo Muti with the Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala Theatre in Milan. (Lidia Bortolotti)
Information about Giuseppe Verdi Theater of Busseto
Piazza Giuseppe Verdi,
43011 Busseto (Parma)
Source: MIBACT
