Coliseo Theater

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Teatro Coliseo (1953)

The Teatro Coliseo is a traditional old theater in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires . It is located in the Retiro district , on Plaza Libertad . The history of the theater can be divided into different stages, as it has been moved or rebuilt several times. The first section extends from its foundation at the former location opposite the Church de la Merced in 1804 to 1834. The second section extends from the renovation in 1834 to its demolition in 1873. At that time it was known as the Coliseo Argentino or Teatro Argentino . The third section includes the rebuilding of Plaza Libertad in 1905. The final period includes the last renovation and one more move to the present day.

history

El Teatro Coliseo de la Merced

The first Teatro Coliseo or Viejo Teatro Coliseo (Old Coliseo Theater) was founded in 1804, during the times of Spanish colonial rule. Until 1838 it was the only performance hall in the city of Buenos Aires. The first location was opposite the Church de la Merced, at the intersection of Reconquista and Perón.

In 1825, the first complete opera in Argentina was performed here, Rossini's Barber of Seville . At the time, two of the most famous actors in the ensemble of the Teatro Coliseo, Trinidad Guevara (1798–1873), now considered the first Argentine actress, and Juan José Casacuberta (1789–1849).

In 1834 the theater was rebuilt and was given the name Coliseo Argentino or Teatro Argentino .

El Teatro Argentino

The Teatro Argentino was built by José Olaguer Feliú on the property of a Señor Almagro. The facade was kept simple, and the interior decoration was rather poor. Most of the latter comes from Mariano Pizarro, an Argentine artist and theater mechanic. The stage portal read: “La comedia es espejo de la vida” (The comedy is the mirror of life). The theater had about 250 seats. The orchestra consisted of 26 to 28 members, not always professional musicians.

In 1873 Melchor Rams bought the theater and had it demolished to make way for the Pasaje del Teatro Argentino passage .

El Teatro Coliseo de Plaza Libertad

The new Teatro Coliseo opens as a circus in 1905. On August 27, 1920, Argentina's first radio broadcast was broadcast from the theater.

At the end of the 1960s, the Mandioca record company organized concerts there under the name “Beat Baires”, including bands such as Almendra , Manal and Vox Dei .

activities

The Teatro Coliseo is used for various purposes, drama, musicals or political events. However, his main focus is on classical music and opera. It is also the venue for concerts by the Asociación Mozarteum Argentino. Artists such as Yehudi Menuhin , Victoria de los Ángeles and the Beaux Arts Trio have already performed there as part of these concerts .

Characteristic

The theater has space for 1700 visitors. One of its main features is the large orchestra pit, which makes it very suitable for opera performances.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Carey, Bernardo (2006), A propósito de la primer “bisagra” del teatro argentino: “Autores de dramas gauchescos, sainetes y revistas - Siglo XIX” , Teatro del Pueblo, SOMI.
  2. ^ Gesualdo (1961), Historia de la Música Argentina , Buenos Aires: Beta.
  3. ^ Memoria del Teatro Colón , Revista 40, Teatro Colón. ( Memento from May 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Wilde, José Antonio, Buenos Aires desde 70 años atrás , Serie del Siglo y Medio, vol. 2, Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires, Bs. As., 1961.

Web links

Coordinates: 34 ° 35 ′ 47.6 ″  S , 58 ° 22 ′ 59.8 ″  W.