XVII Century Construction of the Headquarters of the Sede degli Erranti
Originally bounded by the southern walls of the citadel (14th–15th centuries), the area of the Theatre was granted by the Republic of Venice to the Accademia degli Erranti, which, in 1643, had its headquarters built there by the architects Avanzo.
Founded in the first decade of the 17th century, the Accademia brought together the city’s nobility: in addition to equestrian activities and fencing, lessons in mathematics, ethics and dance were held. Almost every year, the members of the Accademia also held a solemn ceremony in honour of the Venetian Podestà, featuring musical and poetic compositions.
1760/1769Building of the Ridotto
After numerous difficulties and delays, on 23rd February 1760 the Regency decreed the work in progress on this new hall, which also included two adjoining rooms, entrusting the supervision of the project to the architect Antonio Marchetti. With the building work completed in 1765, the new hall was to be furnished with the necessary ornamental decoration, a task entrusted to the Venetian painters Francesco Battaglioli and Francesco Zugno. In 1771, the hall was then fitted with crystal chandeliers, to which were added twenty-four wooden candelabra carved by Beniamino Simoni. On 22nd March 1772, the academic hall was finally inaugurated, whilst the adjoining rooms were completed some ten years later and decorated by the painters Francesco Tellaroli, between 1789 and 1790, and Giuseppe Teosa of Brescia, in 1811, with depictions alluding to the gambling that took place here during the Napoleonic era.
1810Inaugration of the Sala Grande
The current auditorium, with its characteristic horseshoe shape, was designed by the Milanese architect Luigi Canonica and was inaugurated in 1810 with a grand Opera performance, with music composed especially for the occasion by Simone Mayr.
The original neoclassical decoration by Giuseppe Teosa, featuring allegories inspired by Napoleon’s victories, was replaced in 1862–63 by lavish neo-baroque ornamentation. Only the Royal Box retained its original refined decoration, including the overdoor panel depicting the allegory of Night, painted by Domenico Vantini. The transformation was carried out by the Parma-based set designer Girolamo Magnani, who created the monochrome panels incorporated into the box balustrades and the ceiling of the stalls.
1904Triumph of the Madama Butterfly in Brescia
The history of the Teatro Grande is deeply intertwined with that of one of the greatest Operas in the Italian tradition: it was here, on 28th May 1904 (the year of the great Brescia Exhibition), that Puccini presented a new version of Madama Butterfly, just three months after its Milanese debut at La Scala, which had not been well received by the public. For the occasion, King Vittorio Emanuele III himself attended the performance in Brescia, which marked a triumph for Puccini’s opera and made the Teatro Grande famous throughout the world. The singer personally chosen by Puccini for the role of Butterfly was Solomiya Krushelnytska, one of the most celebrated Ukrainian opera singers of the 20th century.
2013/2019Renovation of the Ridotto
Begun in 2013, the restoration of the historic Ridotto of the Teatro Grande was divided into three major phases, the last of which began in January 2017 and was completed at the end of August 2019. This final phase involved the completion of the restoration of the wall paintings and stucco work on the walls of the Ridotto and the first-floor loggia.
This was a major undertaking, which the Fondazione del Teatro Grande carried out in close collaboration with the Accademia Santa Giulia, to which the entire project was entrusted under an agreement signed with the Gruppo Foppa.
Upon completion of the works, 1000 square metres of floor space have now been restored, yielding an extraordinary result that finally restores one of the city’s artistic wonders to its former splendour – one of the few examples in Italy of Venetian Rococo painting applied to a theatrical structure.
2022/2024Renovation of the Sala delle Statue
160 years after its construction and in the run-up to Bergamo and Brescia’s designation as Italian Capital of Culture 2023, the Fondazione del Teatro Grande launched the restoration project for the Sala delle Statue in June 2022, in collaboration with the Superintendency for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Bergamo and Brescia.
The conservation restoration work covered the entire antechamber, including the surfaces of the two vestibules adjoining the Sala delle Statue and the large vault above. The works, which continued until December 2022, brought to light the ancient 18th-century coffered decoration covering the vault of this first room in the building, which has become visible again after more than 150 years of being concealed. The restoration campaign was completed in the summer of 2024, carried out with the significant support of Beretta Industrie S.p.A.
