Maltese Actor And Historian Acquire Rare 1873 Poem Describing The Burning Of Teatru Rjal
Local actor and guide Jeremy Grech together with Maltese historian William Zammit managed to acquire a “very rare poem” written in 1873 describing what happened when Teatru Rjal was burned down that same year.
Tomorrow, it will be unveiled to commemorate a similarly fateful day when the same theatre was bombed in 1942.
“As some of you might know, as an actor and guide I find immense pleasure in sharing knowledge about the history of the island in a theatrical way,” Grech wrote on social media.
“After quite some hours of copying (still in the process of) I am publishing this poem in a digital format for it to be accessible to everyone in the history and theatre world.”
The poem will be released in its original Maltese tomorrow with a “hopeful” English translation soon after.
The poem cost almost €200 to acquire due to its age and rarity. If anyone would like to contribute a small donation you can get in touch with Grech by messaging his Instagram page: grech.jeremy.
Teatru Rjal was Malta’s new Royal Opera House which was built when opera became more popular on the islands and Teatru Manoel was not enough to quench the demand.
It was designed by English architect Edward Middleton in Neo-Classical style.
It was completed after five years with a seating capacity of 1095 and 200 standing; more than double the capacity of the Teatru Manoel. It was inaugurated on October 9, 1866 with Vincenzo Bellini’s opera I Puritani. The total cost amounted to £60,000 which, at that time, was a considerable sum.
However, on a Sunday evening in May 1873, during the rehearsals of Giuseppe Privitera’s opera La Vergine del Castello, the theatre accidentally caught fire and its interior was extensively damaged.
Restoration works were taken up immediately under the supervision of Architect Webster Poulson, at a cost of £4,000. It reopened nearly four and a half years later.
The Royal Opera House was held to be one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring Opera Houses in Europe. This was therefore by default the theatre where Maltese singers and musicians aspired to commence their career.
Yet, on 7th April 1942, the building was struck with misfortune once again when it suffered an aerial attack by Stuka dive-bombers.
Its pristine interior and most of its side walls came crashing down and one of Malta’s cultural and architectural landmarks ended up in miserable ruins. Only the numerous Corinthian columns and peripheral hard stone base survived.
In 1953, six renowned architects submitted their designs to have the theatre rebuilt, but the project was shelved after a lot of bickering.
Eventually, the ruins fell into disuse and the interior floor of the glorious theatre came to serve as a parking lot for the vehicles of the many commuters who entered Valletta.
Today, Pjazza Teatru Rjal has been integrated into the old theatre’s ruins, serving as a preservation of Malta’s history as well as a place to nurture the artists of today.
Featured images: Pjazza Teatru Rjal website
Share this with a history buff and let us know if you’ll be reading this poem in the comments down below
READ NEXT: 22-Year-Old Man At Risk Of Dying After Falling In Shaft In Msida
