Author(s): Carlo Lanfossi

Theatre

The theatres history from its origins to the present day, richly illustrated in colour. La Scala is the worlds number one theatre, because it is the one that gives the maximum musical enjoyment, wrote Stendhal on 10 November 1816. La Scala had opened in 1778 with the opera Europa riconosciuta by Antonio Salieri, but it had already won itself a prestige that it would subsequently maintain throughout its whole existence. Most of Italy's greatest operatic artists, and many of the finest singers from other nations, too, have appeared at La Scala during the past 200 years. Today, the theatre is still recognized as one of the leading opera and ballet theatres in the world. This sumptuous book - an adept partnership of text and illustrations is one of its calling cards - presents a chronology of the major operas, ballets, composers and players from 1778 to today and represents an invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and aficionados.