LA SCALA

in full Teatro Alla Scala (Italian: Theatre at the Stairway) Milan, one of the principal opera houses of the world and the leading Italian house. Built in 1776 by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (which country then ruled Milan), it replaced an earlier theatre that had burned. In 1872 it became the property of the city of Milan. The house was closed during World War I. In 1920 the conductor Arturo Toscanini led a council that raised money to reopen it, organizing it as an autonomous corporation. The theatre, bombed during World War II, reopened in 1946, partly through funds raised by benefit concerts given by Toscanini. La Scala's repertory is more varied than that of the other four or five leading opera houses. It tends to include a large number of unfamiliar works balanced by a limited number of popular favourites. Conductors are given control of casting and rehearsals. The composer Giuseppe Verdi was closely associated with the house during the 19th century. Toscanini's tenure as artistic director marked one of the finest periods in the theatre's existence. Associated with the main theatre are a smaller theatre, La Piccola Scala; a ballet company and ballet school; and a singing school. The expenses of La Scala are met by a combination of ticket sales, a municipal tax, and an Italian governmental subsidy.