People wearing face masks attend a concert at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy on May 10. Photo: IC

People wearing face masks attend a concert at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy on May 10. Photo: IC

La Scala, one of the world's most storied opera houses and ballet theaters, reopened on Monday nearly 200 days after it was shuttered under coronavirus health rules.

The Milan-based theater, which first opened its doors in 1778, has hosted premieres by some of the world's best-known musical figures including Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini.

On Monday, it reopened with maestro Riccardo Chailly conducting and soloist soprano Lise Davidsen performing, marking not only the theater's newest reopening but also the 75th anniversary of its first post-World War II concert. The program includes selections of music composed by Verdi, Henry Purcell and Richard Wagner.

Theater officials said the first performance along with a follow-up on Tuesday sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale on May 4.

La Scala has been closed since October 22, 2020, a span of 199 days. La Scala usually kicks off its new season each December 7, but it skipped the event in 2020 for the first time since 2003.

"The quality of the performances has never been an issue at La Scala," Gino Vezzini, president of Friends of Loggione, a group of the theater's patrons, told the Xinhua News Agency. 

"But now there is a great deal of pent-up demand for opera lovers and limited space as well. It's no surprise tickets went quickly."

Normally, La Scala can seat nearly 2,100 theater-goers for any one show. But to respect coronavirus health rules, fewer than a fourth as many spots are available for each performance. Monday is seeing an opening-day crowd of just 500, with much of the gallery section changed from audience seating to seating for the orchestra, to allow for social distancing between musicians.

For now, most events at La Scala will get underway at 7 pm local time, earlier than normal, to allow the performance to finish and attendees to get home in time for the national 10 pm curfew, which remains in effect.

After months of off-again-on-again openings and closures - not only for La Scala but for restaurants, bars, and other businesses - theater officials say they hope this reopening is for good.

Italy began easing coronavirus health restrictions in late April, and as of Saturday, it began allowing foreign tourists to travel in the country with proof that they are virus-free.

"The reopening is a positive sign and we have to make sure it sticks," Giuseppe Sala, Milan's mayor, said in a television interview last week. 

"We have to be tolerant and remain careful."

The return will be welcome news for La Scala, which has suffered economically as well as artistically after months of inactivity or strictly online events.

An official told Xinhua the theater avoided laying off staff during the crisis, but that took an economic toll. 

With ticket sales limited to a fourth of their normal levels, Vezzini said La Scala's economic challenges will not be resolved in the coming weeks and months. But he said it could be a big step in the right direction.