Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

Abstract:
The paper analyzes the Opera Season of the Rome Opera House in the Baths of Caracalla as an idea of the 1930s. The idea of using the colossal architectural remains of ancient Rome as a backdrop for presentations with great effect on the audience was launched by the then Governor of Rome, Don Piero Colonna, and was immediately supported by Mussolini. A first experimental season was organized in 1937 in the Tepidarium for 8,000 spectators outside the building with almost unlimited funds. Those evening events attracted such an enthusiastic audience that the following year it was planned to increase the capacity of the stands up to 20,000 spectators. Hence, a theater was built in only three months and with a considerable number of workers in order to provide the masses (of the population) with opera and ballet performances at affordable prices. By spectacularizing the cultural policy, the party secured the consent of the people. The stage and stalls were installed in the Calidarium, while the huge technical apparatus was anchored in the ancient masonry. The big quantities of earth that over the centuries had occupied the underground corridors, which were used in Roman times for bringing in wood to heat the hot rooms of the baths, were removed. Besides, the vaults were stabilized, and the auditorium was built in the garden slightly uphill such as to guarantee a good view and perfect acoustics from every angle. The evening shows left lasting impressions at that time. But in 1939 all the shows were suspended and due to the war, they were discontinued until 1945, when they were resumed in a limited form. For years the shows have been held in front of the baths and no longer inside the complex. As a matter of fact, they are still part of the major events taking place during summer in the Italian capital city.