The Teatro Dal Verme is a theatre in Milan , Italy located on the Via San Giovanni sul Muro, on the site of the former private theatre the Politeama Ciniselli . It was designed by Giuseppe Pestagalli to a commission from Count Francesco Dal Verme, and was used primarily for plays and opera performances throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the theatre is no longer used for opera, but is a venue for concerts, plays and dance performances, as well as exhibitions and conferences.
7-406: The original 3,000-seat theatre, surmounted by a large cupola , was constructed in the traditional horseshoe shape, with two tiers of boxes and a large gallery (or loggione ) which alone contained more than 1000 seats. It opened on 14 September 1872 with a production of Meyerbeer 's Les Huguenots and soon established itself as one of Italy's most important opera houses. During its "golden years",
14-422: A belfry , belvedere , or roof lantern above a main roof. In other cases they may crown a spire , tower , or turret . Barns often have cupolas for ventilation. Cupolas can also appear as small buildings in their own right. The square, dome-like segment of a North American railroad train caboose that contains the second-level or "angel" seats is also called a cupola. The term cupola can also refer to
21-445: A cupola ( / ˈ k ( j ) uː p ə l ə / ) is a relatively small, usually dome -like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Italian , from lower Latin cupula (classical Latin cupella ), from Ancient Greek κύπελλον ( kúpellon ) 'small cup' (Latin cupa ), indicating
28-524: A vault resembling an upside-down cup. The cylindrical drum underneath a larger cupola is called a tholobate . The cupola evolved during the Renaissance from the older oculus . Being weatherproof, the cupola was better suited to the wetter climates of northern Europe. The chhatri , seen in Indian architecture , fits the definition of a cupola when it is used atop a larger structure. Cupolas often serve as
35-754: The Sala Grande , with 1420 seats, a smaller performing space known as the Sala Piccola , with 200 seats, and a space for exhibitions and conferences, the Sala Terrazzo . Since September 2001, it has been administered by the Fondazione I Pomeriggi Musicali , whose orchestra (the Orchestra i Pomeriggi Musicali ) is resident at the theatre. 45°28′02″N 9°10′53″E / 45.4672°N 9.1815°E / 45.4672; 9.1815 Cupola In architecture ,
42-407: The bombing, was stripped of all its metal parts by the occupying German army. It was partially rebuilt in 1946, and for a period in the 1950s it was used for the performance of musicals . It then reverted to a cinema and a political conference hall. In 1991, the theatre's interior underwent a major restructuring and renovation project which was completed in 1998. It now has a large modern auditorium,
49-540: The theatre saw the world premieres of Puccini 's Le Villi (31 May 1884), Leoncavallo 's Pagliacci (21 May 1892), I Medici (9 November 1893) and Cowen 's Signa (12 November 1893). It also saw the Italian premiere of Lehár 's The Merry Widow (27 April 1907). By the 1930s, the theatre was mainly being used as a cinema. It was then severely damaged by American aerial bombardment during World War II, after which its magnificent central cupola, which had survived
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