Rome Opera Fights for Survival and Public Loyalty
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Version 0 of 1. ROME — How does the opera house of a major European city, one that has long struggled to achieve the cachet of the legendary La Scala theater in Milan, try to reverse its fortunes? First, it lures Riccardo Muti, who was associated with La Scala for 19 years, to be its “honorary director for life.” That is what the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome did two years ago, as part of a broader effort to overhaul its somewhat stodgy reputation. But the opera house has gone further, starting a school for young musicians and dancers, developing programs for younger audiences and planning to expand use of its summertime venue, the spectacular Baths of Caracalla. When Mr. Muti accepted the Rome Opera’s invitation in 2011, the move not only bolstered the theater’s international prestige, but quickly led to an increase in ticket sales. Occupancy is now at 97 percent, according to Catello De Martino, general manager of the theater, and the sale of season tickets is up 47 percent. (Mr. Muti’s leadership had a similar effect on revenue at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he became music director in 2010, Deborah Rutter, the orchestra’s president, told The Chicago Tribune last year). The economic benefits could be seen rapidly in Rome “when the Muti project began,” Mr. De Martino said during an interview in his office, as Mozart’s “Requiem” played softly in the background. But more broadly, Mr. Muti’s appointment led to a general rethinking of the theater’s mandate and future. “We’re trying to marry traditional Italian opera with a more modern vision of what a theater can be, recovering our credibility in the meantime,” Mr. De Martino said. “We’ve got young voices with great potential, we’re diversifying productions and we’ve got an important director who lures other great directors.” This season, Mr. Muti is conducting three Verdi operas — “Simon Boccanegra,” “I due Foscari” and “Nabucco” — as well as a concert on March 21. Given that the first public opera house in Italy was inaugurated in 1637, when the Teatro San Cassiano opened its doors in Venice, Rome was a relative latecomer to the art form. The capital’s first opera house, originally named the Teatro Costanzi in honor of its patron and first manager, opened in 1880 and underwent two substantial renovations — in 1928, after Mussolini urged City Hall in Rome to take over the theater’s management, and in 1958. In both cases, the renovations were directed by Marcello Piacentini, the architect who put his stamp on Rome’s architecture during Mussolini’s time Piacentini’s refurbishments may have given the theater the distinctive look it has today, but it also created seemingly insurmountable problems when it comes to refitting the theater for modern needs. “We are physically constricted,” Mr. De Martino lamented. The opera house is built on top of Roman ruins, meaning that digging down is not an option, and because it is boxed in, the backstage cannot be expanded. In large part because of this, the Rome Opera averages eight opera productions and four ballets per season, Mr. De Martino said. “If I had a modern stage, I could triple the productions we have today,” he said. The opera house is looking at other ways to expand. Work is expected to begin soon on the restoration of a theater that is kitty-corner to the opera house and that can be used as a concert hall. The Rome Opera has had its high and low moments. It was inaugurated, when it was still the Teatro Costanzi, in 1880 with a production of Rossini’s “Semiramide.” Over the years it has hosted several memorable premieres, including Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria rusticana,” on May 17, 1890, and Puccini’s “Tosca,” on Jan. 14, 1900. Great singers have crossed its stage, including Enrico Caruso and Maria Callas, as well as conductors like Arturo Toscanini and Victor De Sabata. It has celebrated contemporary voices as well. The small shop inside the theater bears witness to rare recordings within its walls, including a 1943 “Ballo in Maschera,” by Verdi, with Beniamino Gigli conducted by Tullio Serafin; a 1954 “Don Carlo” with Boris Christoff; and a 1958-59 recording of Puccini works with Tito Gobbi and Victoria de los Angeles. But over the years, the opera has had alternating fortunes with the Roman public. “I’ve seen performances with barely any public at the Rome Opera,” said Sabino Lenoci, the editor of L’Opera magazine. “The Roman public had abandoned their theater. I hope Muti will turn that around.” The current management of the theater has been virtuous from an economic point of view, and Mr. Muti has sought to raise the level of the orchestra and the choir. But for Andrea Estero, the executive editor of the monthly magazine Classic Voice, the stagings at the Rome Opera “lack innovation,” sticking too much to traditional fare. “It remains tied to the stereotypes of years ago,” he said. “But that is very much in line with Muti.” Mr. Muti has criticized the Italian government’s policy on culture, condemning cuts that have reduced financing for the performing arts year after year. The Rome Opera gets most of its financing from the government and taxpayers, but it is vying for an ever-shrinking portion of the budget destined for all forms of live entertainment in Italy. And with Italy in a deepening recession, the theater has had to turn increasingly to sponsors. “That’s the problem for all Italian opera houses, finding other fonts of financing,” said Mr. Lenoci of L’Opera magazine. “But it is difficult because in Italy sponsors have no tax incentives to donate.” Culture management experts say that Italian opera theaters have bloated budgets that simply cannot endure in today’s economic times. “All theaters struggle,” Mr. Lenoci said, “except for La Scala, which has noblesse oblige status.” Mr. De Martino has thus sought to streamline and downsize, cutting the opera house’s deficit by nearly €12 million, or $15 million. Productions have moved from the “pharaonic” — grand and glitzy performances — to more “thoughtful” stagings, he said. But transforming the Rome Opera cannot be done with cuts alone, which is why Mr. Muti’s appointment is seen as so crucial. The opera house has also increased performances at the ancient Roman Baths of Caracalla, adding a festival this year that will feature literature and prose, as well as special performances, including a tribute to the Italian composer Ennio Morricone. “Caracalla is a resource,” Mr. De Martino said, adding that he hoped to top a record of 50,000 spectators there, established two years ago. It is also looking to the next generation, and has started a youth orchestra as well as a ballet school. “Young people are the hope for society,” Mr. De Martino said, and a guarantee that opera as an art form will be preserved for the future. It remains to be seen how the changes will be received. “The Roman public gets passionate about things pretty quickly,” Mr. De Martino said, “but can be disenchanted equally fast.” |