Where Verona's opera came from
Opera in Verona: Filarmonico to Arena
A short history of opera in Verona: the Accademia Filarmonica of 1543, the Teatro Filarmonico, a young Mozart's visit, and the Arena festival since 1913.
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Verona's musical life began long before the Arena festival. The Accademia Filarmonica was founded in 1543, its Teatro Filarmonico opened in 1732, and the fourteen-year-old Mozart visited the Academy in December 1770. The Arena's opera festival began in 1913 with Aida. A palace concert is the third scale: a few singers, a piano and a small room.
An academy before an opera house
The Accademia Filarmonica di Verona was founded on 1 May 1543, when two earlier groups merged. Its founders were young members of the city's aristocratic families, and the academy has existed ever since as a society for the performance and study of music. A third group, the Accademia alla Vittoria, merged into the Filarmonica in 1564. Verona did not have a large opera house in the early 18th century, so the academy decided to build one. That is the root of the city's opera tradition, long before the Arena became a stage for it.
The Teatro Filarmonico
Work on the theatre began in 1716 and took thirteen years. It was inaugurated on the evening of 6 January 1732 with Antonio Vivaldi's pastoral drama La fida ninfa, to a libretto by Scipione Maffei. The opera season became famous, and its performances led the city's social events. A fire consumed it on 21 January 1749, and it was rebuilt and rededicated in 1754. The Allied bombing of 23 February 1945 razed it again, and the academy rebuilt it as it had been, a job that took decades. It was inaugurated afresh in 1975 with Salieri's Falstaff.
Mozart in Verona
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited the Accademia Filarmonica in December 1770, aged fourteen, during his first trip to Italy with his father. It was during that visit that the painter Saverio della Rosa made the well-known portrait of him. The visit is a reminder that Verona sat on the route that young musicians took through northern Italy, and that the academy was important enough to receive them. It happened about 160 years before the palace on via dei Mutilati was built.
Read next: Palazzo dei Mutilati Verona: the venue
A congress and a repertoire
The Teatro Filarmonico received international singers, and its repertoire includes the best-known Italian and foreign operas. In 1822, during the Congress of Verona, Rossini's La santa alleanza was performed there. The Italian repertoire of its seasons has included works such as La sonnambula, The Barber of Seville and Tosca, along with rarer titles. The theatre still hosts opera, ballet and concert seasons today, which is why it is the venue to check if you want a complete staged work in the city.
The Arena festival
The Arena's opera festival began in 1913. The first season was staged to celebrate the centenary of Verdi's birth, and it opened on 10 August 1913 with Aida, produced by the Veronese tenor Giovanni Zenatello and the impresario Ottone Rovato. The Arena's own site says the amphitheatre seats about 30,000 people. Performances traditionally begin at dusk, and in the Arena's tradition spectators light small candles as the dark falls. Maria Callas was a regular between 1947 and 1954, after her success in La Gioconda. Dance has been staged there too: in 1976 Maurice Béjart choreographed Beethoven's Ninth in the Arena, and rain interrupted the premiere.
Three scales of opera
Verona therefore offers opera at three scales. The Arena is the vast open-air production, in summer. The Teatro Filarmonico is the historic theatre with a full season. And a palace concert is the smallest: a tenor, a mezzo-soprano and a piano in a meeting hall, at arm's length, with prosecco on arrival. None replaces the others. If you are in Verona for a few days, the palace concert fits the shortest slot, and it is a gentle way to hear whether opera is for you before you commit to a three-act evening.
Read next: Verona opera concert: how to book
Frequently asked questions
When did the Arena start staging opera?
In 1913, with Aida on 10 August, to mark the centenary of Verdi's birth. The festival was produced by the tenor Giovanni Zenatello and the impresario Ottone Rovato.
What is the Teatro Filarmonico?
Verona's main opera theatre, owned by the Accademia Filarmonica. It opened on 6 January 1732, was rebuilt after a fire in 1749 and after the bombing of 1945, and reopened in 1975.
Did Mozart visit Verona?
Yes. He visited the Accademia Filarmonica in December 1770, aged fourteen, on his first trip to Italy with his father.
Is a palace concert the same as the Arena?
No. The Arena stages full productions in a Roman amphitheatre, mostly in summer. A palace concert is an hour of arias and duets with piano in a small hall.
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