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Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli, ''Ernani''

Cremona

A detail of the curtain of the setting which imitates, by magnifying them, the traits of a seventeenth-century engraving. The height of the head is about 2 m.The pictorial part of the scenography, which in addition to the curtain included a large central backdrop and two lateral backdrops with damask motifs made of ASC - Sceno muslin, was painted ...
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... in the large and historic painting room of the Teatro Comunale of Modena. It is probably the last workshop of this kind to be still active in the position foreseen by the architecture of the ''Italian theater'', that is under the roof of the theater ...
... and above the ceiling of the main hall of the theatre.Also called ''soffittone'', it was used for the realization of the painted backdrops because of the ampleness of the floor that reproduced in the shape and size ...
... the floor of the underlying hall. The ''soffittone'' of Modena is shaped like a horseshoe, has a depth of 24 m and a maximum width of 17 m.The only way that the scenography painters can use to verify their work ...
... is to climb on this wooden ladder, that probably has the same age of the theater, which was inaugurated in 1841. The scenography workshop is dedicated today to the scenographer from Modena Koki Fregni (1930-1994), the teacher of the scenographers and painters from Modena Maria Grazia Cervetti ...
... and Rinaldo Rinaldi, here in the foreground, in turn the teacher of the painter who painted the backdrops of this setting.For functional reasons, the ceiling communicated with the Flyloft: thanks to the connection it was possible to lower the backdrops directly on the stage.The wooden wall visible in the background, which in fact separates the ''soffittone'' from the Flyloft ...
... is located exactly on the arch of the proscenium.The five centuries of the theatrical pictorial tradition of the Italian region Emilia, that from Sebastiano Serlio reach our days with the painters from Modena Koki Fregni, Maria Grazia Cervetti and Rinaldo Rinaldi, have an heir who is native... Japanese, from Shizuoka. Keiko Shiraishi, who is also charged with the maintenance of the scenography workshop ...
... of the Teatro Comunale of Modena, is aware of her own responsibilities: «... I reached Modena in 1997 and I hadn't the chance to know Koki, but I feel his presence in the workshop, and it's a big help when I have some difficulty with the backdrops.»In the photo, Keiko Shiraishi and Maria Grazia Cervetti are completing, in the scenography workshop of the Teatro Comunale of Modena, a 17,40 x h 9,50 m painted backdrop made of black BGO - Gobelin tulle.
Drama for music in four acts
Music
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
First night
Venice, Teatro La Fenice, 9/3/1844

Scenography
Dario Gessati
Costume design
Valeria Donata Bettella
Scenographic realizations
Keiko Shiraishi
in the workshops of Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti of Modena
Light design
Fiammetta Baldiserri
Technical direction
Primo Federici
Stage direction
Andrea Cigni

Staging
Co-production with
Season
2012/2013

Materials used in this production

ASC - Sceno

Muslin and canvas

BGO - Gobelin

Scrim and bobbinet fabrics

COS - Oscurante

Duvetyne and blackout fabrics

Stage maskings

Acoustic curtains

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