Bringing scenography to light : the Royal Opera House

Abstract

This dissertation examines and catalogues the surviving painted scenery of the old Royal Opera House in Malta, bombed in 1942. These were recovered from the Teatru Manoel in Valletta and the Missionary Society of St Paul in Birkirkara. A mixed research approach was applied to document and analyse the scenes, in order to create a database that would record both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the material discovered. The dissertation is contextualised in a literature review consisting of an introduction to the concept of scenography, and provides a historical background to the Royal Opera House in relation to nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scenic developments. Particular focus is placed on the methodology that was elaborated to undertake the research process for documentation and recording of these scenes. The type of first interventions that were taken for conservation purposes are described. A case study of the scenes for the opera La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli is carried out. This case study not only showcases the artistic beauty of these scenes but also provides the reader with a better image of how this opera would have been staged at the Royal Opera House. The historical and cultural relevance of these scenes as works of art created for a local theatre is highlighted to justify why future conservation is crucial.