Teatro Novissimo

History

Public commercial opera had begun in Venice in 1637. By the time the Teatro Novissimo was conceived and planned three years later, there were already three theatres staging operas in the city, Teatro San Cassiano, Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and Teatro San Moisè. The Novissimo (the word means "Newest" in English) would be unique in that it was purpose-built for staging opera and, unlike the other three, was built and owned by a consortium rather than a single noble family. The consortium consisted of the patrician Luigi Michiel and members of the Accademia degli Incogniti who included the librettists Giulio Strozzi, Giacomo Badoaro, and Giovanni Francesco Busenello.

On 30 May 1640 the consortium signed a contract with the Dominican friars of Santi Giovanni e Paolo allowing them to construct and operate a theatre on land adjacent to the monastery which at the time was occupied by a large shed. The contract stipulated that the new theatre would be only used for the performances of "heroic" operas, not comedies. Girolamo Lappoli, a businessman from Arezzo, was also involved in the project as the theatre's impresario and later claimed to have "built" the theatre. By October 1640, the composer Francesco Sacrati and the stage designer and architect Giacomo Torelli had joined the project along with the Venetian noblemen Gerolamo Landò, Giacomo Marcello, and Giacomo da Mosto who provided further financing. Torelli would not only create the sets and stage machinery, but also design the theatre itself. The stage, almost 11 metres wide, was able to accommodate Torelli's complex stage sets and machinery which would characterise the theatre's productions. …