La Scala is a famous opera house in Milan , Italy. Its formal title is Teatro alla Scala (La Scala Theatre). The opera house stands on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, built in the 1300’s and named for Regina della Scala, a member of the ruling Visconti family in Milan at that time.
La Scala opened in 1778. The theater established its reputation as an international center of opera during the early 1800’s with the premieres of important works by such composers as Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Gioachino Rossini, and Giuseppe Verdi.
La Scala’s greatest period came under the leadership of the famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini , who was the company’s music director three times from 1898 to 1929. Toscanini attracted many of the world’s greatest singers to La Scala and conducted Italian premieres of operas by such composers as Claude Debussy, Giacomo Puccini, and Richard Wagner.
La Scala was bombed in 1943, during World War II (1939-1945), and remained closed until 1946. It was also closed for renovation from 2002 to 2004. Famous music directors following Toscanini included Carlo Maria Giulini (1953-1956), Claudio Abbado (1971-1986), Riccardo Muti (1986-2005), and Daniel Barenboim 2011-2014). La Scala is also the home of the La Scala Ballet Company, one of the oldest and best known ballet companies in the world.
