After four months of shutdown and half of its opera and symphonic seasonal events canceled, Verdi Theater chose June 21st, an auspicious Summer solstice, to reopen its doors to public. The first night was a success with a beautiful repertoire of opera overtures that spaced from Rossini to Verdi, Puccini and Vivaldi. It was an emotional première for Trieste’s beloved opera theater.
Despite the “apocalyptic” appearance of staff wearing protective facial shields and masks, and the large posters about Covid19 prevention replacing music events in the foyer, it felt wonderfully familiar to be back to the rich, red and golden decor of this beautiful theater that along with all of the cultural venues in town has been greatly affected by the epidemic.
I could see joy and relief in the sincere smiles of the musicians of the Verdi orchestra tuning their instruments and getting ready to perform. I could see more joy and relief in the eyes of conductor Paolo Longo, who couldn’t keep from smiling through his tight black mask.
Unfortunately, Covid19 restrictions have greatly reduced the theater’s capacity. Alternate rows and two empty seats between people couldn’t ensure a full house at the première. It felt quite strange to be sitting next to no one, to have nobody in the row behind me.
Although greatly reduced in number, the audience managed to cheer enthusiastically and give long, warm applauses. At times it felt like the theater was once again full. At others, it felt like all those artists were performing just for me. The rendering of Nabucco’s Va pensiero with choir and orchestra was touching and meaningful – the audience wasn’t satisfied until it was performed encore following yet another endless applause.
It is great news for Trieste that the Verdi Theater Foundation has managed to put up in a relatively short amount of time such a rich, varied summer festival. The all-time-favorite repertoir selection includes arias and melodies from popular operas and well-known composers. There are 13 concerts, mainly for orchestra and choir, ending on August 7 (see Verdi Theater‘s website for dates and times). Prices are reasonable and vary depending on where you seat, the most expensive ticket is 30 euros for stalls.
Although the 2019-2020 season has officially been canceled, the theater has chosen to keep its original program billboard on the facade. For those who had 2019-2020 seasonal tickets, the canceled shows will be reimbursed. It isn’t however possible to use expired seasonal tickets for the current summer festival.
It is not yet known when the official opera and concert season will begin and how the theater is going to manage future capacity.
By Alessandra Ressa
