Alessandra Farinelli Toselli in her extensive essay on the Teatro Comunale di Ferrara rightly emphasizes the significant importance of this city in the evolution of stage space. From the first stagings at the court of Ercole I d’Este, to the comedies of Ariosto, progressively up to the 17th century which was marked in this context by the presence and work of extraordinary personalities. Giovan Battista Aleotti, who in 1604 designed the Teatro degli Intrepidi and worked here as a stage technician until 1628, Francesco Guitti, Alfonso Rivarola called il Chenda, who worked on scenic apparatuses in the service of Borso Bonaccossi, and finally the set designer Carlo Pasetti who in 1660 took care of the rebuilding of the Obizzi theater. With these premises, it does not intend to identify a continuity between the scenic experiences at the Este Court and the architectural characteristics of the current Teatro Comunale, but rather to highlight the experimental and innovative character that links quite different episodes, and the relationship that is established each time between space intended for performance and urban space. (cf. Fiocchi 1984, p. 93)The long and troubled realization of this particular building takes place in decisive years for the typological definition of the “Italian-style” theatrical space. On the one hand, the theater establishes itself as an autonomous architectural structure serving the city, on the other (the baroque scheme of the box hall is now established) it searches for the perfect theater hall shape, in order to allow the best enjoyment and maximum acoustic and visual enjoyment for all spectators, minimizing as much as possible the defects inherent in the cellular arrangement of the space. Antonio Frizzi in Memorie per la storia di Ferrara, summarizes very effectively the events surrounding the first construction phase of this theater. “Since 1773 our fellow citizens had yearned to have a theater that was public, and more capacious and elegant than the two old and only ones remaining in this city for the Noble Families Bonacossa and Scrofa. The Legate Borghese attempted to gather the necessary money by lottery, but failed. The successor Cardinal Carafa, stimulated to consider this matter, took it on with his usual commitment. He had a drawing made by our talented young architect Giuseppe Campana, and having fixed the location in one of the best points of the city, forced the owners of the buildings there to sell to the Community at a fair price. Then, foreseeing that the owners, among them the Apostolic Chamber itself, would appeal in Rome, possibly causing delays or even permanently blocking the project, he started the demolition of the buildings by torchlight on the night before April 19, 1786, so that those who might have appealed to Rome could not do so in time and had to be content with the price offered. Then he began to seek ways to raise the necessary funds, and found them ready through the force of his absolute commands. Work was already underway at full pace, the interior was almost only lacking the roof, and the foundations were already prepared outside, when suddenly Cardinal Carafa was unexpectedly recalled to Rome” (cit. Frizzi 1848, V, p. 232-233). It should be noted that Cardinal Borghese, welcoming the requests of citizens desirous of an adequate theater, had commissioned the project around 1773-1775 from both Cosimo Morelli and Antonio Foschini. At the same time, it seems the most suitable site for erecting the new theater had already been identified, the same which would be subject to expropriations by Cardinal Carafa. This was the so-called Isola del Cervo, located in front of the Este Castle at the beginning of Corso Giovecca, home to some workshops and the main post station with attached stables (owned by some Ferrarese aristocrats and largely by the Apostolic Chamber). This area had the advantage of being sparsely populated and as central as possible. In accordance with the dictates that the theater should be located in the city center, urbanistically closely related to the buildings housing power and the most significant social life buildings (Cf. Farinelli Toselli 1993, p. 267). In 1778, the energetic Cardinal Carafa was called to manage the Ferrarese Legation, for whom the ‘decorum’ of the city was particularly dear; therefore a new theater more responsive to the city’s needs would represent the rightful crowning of the restoration works he initiated. What followed is well described in the above-mentioned passage by Frizzi. Upon the arrival of the new Cardinal Legate, Spinelli, the theater construction site was stopped and Campana’s work was heavily investigated. Initially, shortcomings were found in financial management, then his work as designer and construction director was challenged, pointing out defects in the building (raised up to the roof). From this moment, furious controversies and legal disputes began, involving distinguished figures, called as experts and consultants (Piermarini, Valadier and Stratico) and designers (Marchelli, Morelli and Foschini). Recent studies have resolved two important issues related to this building. Firstly, much of the structure already built under Campana’s direction was reused. According to the advice given by Valadier, Stratico, Piermarini, and also Morelli himself, introducing some improvements, including enlarging the stage and modifying the profile of the cavea, which should have been elliptical. Secondly, the different contributions as designers by Foschini and Morelli have been identified. Within a collaboration imposed from above and never accepted, Cosimo Morelli acted as supervisor, contributing through continuous verification of the various phases of work and concrete design suggestions, while Antonio Foschini is to be considered the actual builder of this theater. The theater, the result of many disputes, has been judged since its origin as the most harmonious and well-structured in our peninsula. It represents the synthesis of experimentation that in the 17th and 18th centuries had involved the theater as a whole. From research into the harmonic effect of the hall (not coincidentally one of the most insidious disputes arose between Foschini and Morelli over the choice of the elliptical line to adopt), to the great attention paid to the urban setting and relationship with the city. “The presence of the theater in the city is imposed not certainly on a monumental level, as contemporary experiences would have suggested, but through the dialogue of the two sides of the building with the street and the square, through the interpenetration between external and internal space realized in the so-called ‘rotonda’, the internal elliptic-shaped courtyard intended for the passage of carriages that entering from the portico opposite the castle could flow out onto Giovecca.” (cit. F.Fiocchi 1984, p. 94) Indeed, the relationship between theater and urban space is realized through an effective corner solution characterized by stylistic uniformity of side and façade. The main façade, characterized by seven arches inserted in a rusticated order, is not imposing at all and, also for economic reasons, was designed without decorative elements. While outside this theater refrains from declaring its functions, inside it achieves a spatial distribution organization in harmony with the contemporaneous and famous ones of La Scala in Milan and La Fenice in Venice. Analyzing Foschini’s project, it can be noticed that both the hall and the very large stage are amply equipped with numerous well-accessorized ancillary rooms. Serving the public are the large Ridotto rooms, once a ballroom and therefore equipped with an unusual railing for the orchestra, other adjacent small rooms, and a ‘tavern’ and ‘shops’ located in the basement below the stalls called the “grotto”. The hall space, carefully studied (see Foschini’s Dissertation on theatrical curves), is characterized by an elliptical plan with four orders of boxes with protruding ledges relative to the supports and gallery, a lowered vaulted ceiling, and above all the elimination of the cumbersome architectural proscenium arch with related boxes. The architectural separation between hall and stage is thus less marked thanks to two very simple pillars supporting a semi-elliptical arch. Another element of interest is constituted by the materials and construction techniques used, employing a particular brick as thin as wood could have been, from the very light ceiling structure and the curved profile of the boxes, in order to achieve a good harmonic effect. Finally, the stage structure, cared for in the smallest details, was built according to schemes and canons already established at that time, with the contribution nonetheless of further improvements by Foschini. Since its inauguration in September 1798 with Gli Orazi e i Curiazi by Portogallo, the theater has undergone multiple restorations and embellishments. The original decoration, made by Serafino Barozzi in collaboration with the quadraturist Santi and Zuliani, was replaced during the first restorations carried out in 1825-1826; Angelo Monticelli was commissioned to represent the Apotheosis of Ariosto on the ceiling. The current decorative apparatus is the work of Francesco Migliari. In 1833 he was commissioned a new curtain depicting Orlando handing the shield to Rinaldo, with a view of Ferrara in the background. In 1845 Migliari, aided by Gaetano and Girolamo Domenichini and Davia, created a new decoration for the current Ridotto. Thus, we come to 1849-1851, years in which the theater underwent restorations and embellishments of significant extent. On this occasion Migliari worked on the ceiling, his last grand enterprise. The new decorative scheme provided, besides friezes, four scenes from the life of Julius Caesar: Oath on the altar of the Fatherland; Promulgation of the agrarian law; Gift of the lands of the conquered to the Praetorians; Laying of the first stone of the Temple of Mars. The patriotism of the time is most likely the inspiration for the adopted theme symbolizing the sacredness of the Fatherland, the soundness of ancient customs, civilization and economy, and finally Mars, the god of war who must revive a united Italy. (Cf. Farinelli Toselli 1993, pp. 276-279, to whom we refer for more knowledge about the theater’s decorative apparatus and modifications during the nineteenth century). During these ‘re-embellishments’, structural restorations were also carried out, the most significant being those in 1849-1851, as the entire theater was strongly in need of repair. In this century, despite ordinary and extraordinary maintenance works (such as the installation of the electric system and the creation of the misterioso box), no major works were undertaken until the early Sixties. In 1940, some of the rooms annexed to the theater were occupied by German troops and command posts, as well as evacuees; this caused a severe degradation of the entire complex. After the war, the theater opened sporadically until 1956 when it was declared unusable and therefore closed. Engineer Carlo Savonuzzi, entrusted with the restoration, carried out the intervention with deep knowledge of the historical layers and recovery and replacement techniques. The considerable work, completed between 1961 and 1964, concerned mainly the ‘noble’ part of the theater. In summary, modifications were made, respecting the original lines, to the lobby and the Ridotto (which had until then been used as a recreational club) which was appropriately reorganized to serve theater-related functions. Additionally, the historical curtain and Migliari’s decorations were restored, furnishings renewed, the gallery renovated, and the so-called “grotto” under the stalls modified to house restrooms. Finally, floors, stairs, and stage flooring were renewed, the plant systems redone, and the fire curtain installed. In 1987, the latest important restoration began (mostly completed) directed by architect Giulio Zappaterra and associates of Ferrara. The work concerned the so-called outbuildings of the Teatro Comunale and especially the adaptation of the entire system to current safety regulations, which in this specific case required a significant amount of challenging interventions given the historical and typological characteristics of the building. This was also an opportunity to recover all those environments that, although part of the theater, were unused or intended for incongruous activities and therefore prohibited by regulations. Thus, rooms for dramatic and musical rehearsals, administrative offices and management, caretaker’s flat, carpentry and props workshop were realized. With the consultancy of an international expert, some refined interventions were also made to improve the acoustics of the hall, already good, which became necessary when maestro Claudio Abbado agreed to establish the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in Ferrara — after London, Vienna, and Berlin. The theater carries out a high-level, intense, and diverse activity. (Lidia Bortolotti)
Information about Teatro Comunale di Ferrara
Corso Martiri per la Libertà,
44121 Ferrara (Ferrara)
Source: MIBACT
