Teatro Valle

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Commissioned by the Capranica family, the architect Tommaso Morelli designed the theatre which was built in 1726. It was inaugurated with the staging of the tragedy "Matilde" by Simon Falconio Pratoli. After hosting a season of "opera seria" in 1730, the Valle was limited through much of the latter half of the 18th century to staging prose dramas as well as a mix of intermezzos and comic operas, particularly those of Galuppi, Piccinni, Anfossi, Sacchini, Paisiello, Guglielmi, and Cimarosa. It was the only theatre in Rome in 1782, and after 1786, which offered both spring and autumn seasons of opera as well a season during Carnival.Murata, Margaret, et al: "Rome", "Grove Music Online" ed. L. Macy (Retrieved on March 21, 2008), ]

Throughout the early 19th century, the Valle was regularly staging "opera buffa" and "opera semiseria" as well as prose comedies and, increasingly after 1830, serious melodrama's. A number of operas during this time were premiered at the Valle, including Rossini’s "Demetrio e Polibio" (1812), "Torvaldo e Dorliska" (1815), and "La Cenerentola" (1817); Mercadante’s "Il geloso ravveduto" (1820); Donizetti’s "L'ajo nell'imbarazzo" (1824), "Olivo e Pasquale" (1827), "Il furioso all’isola di San Domingo" (1833), and "Torquato Tasso" (1833); Pacini’s "La gioventù di Enrico V" (1820); and Luigi Ricci’s "L’orfana di Ginevra" (1829), "Il sonnambulo" (1829), and "Chi dura vince" (1834), as well as many lesser known works from local composers.

Beginning from the middle of the 19th century, the Teatro Valle has staged only spoken drama.

The seating in the Teatro Valle initially consisted of five tiers of 27 boxes. It underwent renovation in by Mauro Fontana in 1765 and was restored again in 1791. The theatre was rebuilt in 1821 to the design of Valadier, completed by Salvi and in 1845 a façade designed by Gaspare Servi was added. Today, it contains four tiers of boxes and a gallery.

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