Leopoldo Pollack, among the most celebrated architects of the Neoclassical period, was entrusted with the project for the new theater; he was chosen because he was already an expert in the theatrical field and was known in Bergamo for other work. A fine artist, he had also worked for Piermarini-the architect of La Scala-and had been his pupil. Pollack decided on an Italian-style theater with multiple tiers of boxes, which realized the need for public visibility of the aristocratic classes and their hierarchical relationships. As for the layout of the stalls, Pollack chose not to repeat the horse-shaped floor plan dominant at the time, opting instead for a more refined and elegant oval shape in the French style .. The combination of this shape with the vertical development of the boxes constitutes perhaps the most original aspect of the project.
When the public first saw the theater there was much appreciation, but also some criticism. Some did not like the curve of the boxes, which seemed not to allow an optimal view; perplexities were advanced about the clutter of the columns at the entrance that were the work of Antonio Bottani, the architect who had continued the project after Pollack’s death. The opening night was, however, successful as evidenced by the testimony of the Prefect of Bergamo Frangipane who wrote: “On the evening of the current 26th the opening of the new Teatro della Società took place. With the Theater elegantly adorned, the skill of the first actors, the richness of dress and scenery, everything proceeded with the utmost good order, and with perfect tranquility.”
DECORATION.
Decorations gracing the ceiling and parapets were made for the Teatro Sociale by Vincenzo Bonomini and Francesco Pirovani. Bonomini, a talented decorator and figurist, had also proposed a design for the decoration of the vault, which was later not approved because he preferred the figurative one by Lattanzio Querena.
THE PALACES.
The Social Theater ‘s 82 boxes are distributed on three superimposed tiers, on which a fourth tier of gallery insists. Pollack designed the wooden parapets of the boxes according to a continuous line, as Piermarini had done for La Scala; it emphasizes the horizontal dimension of the tiers of boxes and gives the overall shape of the hall a harmonious uniformity in the classical style.. The wooden parapets were rich in polychrome decorations, often gaudy, like the colors of the interior walls also sometimes ornamented with faux marble, and in contrast to the poor materials of the floors and lime vaults.
THE OUTSIDE.
Pollack could only partially adopt the new strategies that were gaining popularity in those years: prevented by the narrowness of Corsarola Street from accompanying the Social Theater with a monumental façade, portico, colonnade or whatever else would have made it possible to identify a theater at a glance – and the example is again Piermarini’s La Scala – he had to make do with an elegant façade, yes, but without a solution of continuity with the neighboring buildings. Only the decorative elements, pertaining to the world of the theatrical arts, attested to its nature as a place designated for public performances.
