Malta Opera House

Rough Beginnings

The story of the opera house in Valletta has been fraught with controversy since before it was originally built in the 1860s. Indeed the controversy surrounding this fine building is entrenched in its history.

It was in fact the Maltese architect Giuseppe Bonavia who submitted original plans for the building in 1859. But it was the Council of Government who commissioned a design from Edward Middleton Barry, the architect behind the Opera house in Covent Garden. Barry's designs which were dated November 1860 were approved in February 1861.

The Opera House that never was designed in 1859 by Maltese architect Giuseppe Bonavia.

After changes and counter changes and the realisation that in fact the opera house was to be built on a sloping site and not a flat one (difference in Piazza Vittoria and Strada Reale levels of 10 feet), the controversy surrounding the front terrace and other issues including the failed demolition of a building in Strada Vittoria - tenders were issued in January 1861 for the ironwork, woodwork and masonry for the new theatre. On the same day a tender was issued for a lease of the Manoel Theatre.

The masonry contractor immediately had a large amount of work to do which included the demolition of the entire block at Strada Reale, Strada Mezzodi, Strada Vittoria and Piazza Vittoria.

Edward Middleton Barry(1830 - 1880). Architect of the Royal Opera House, Valletta.

The Council of Government were determined to dispose of the Manoel Theatre before work on the new opera house began. A decision was made to lease or sale the Manoel which would offset the costs of the outlay for the new opera house of about £6000. So on 6 May 1861 the Manoel Theatre was rented on a provisional lease and by the end of that month demolition had started on the Casa della Giornata, whilst at the same time the government were by now without a theatre. Building had started with allegedly the wrong set of plans!

EM Barry's Opera House design - front elevation

EM Barry's Opera House design - rear elevation

EM Barry's Opera House design - side elevation with allowances for the gradient in Strada Vittoria

Barry had in fact sent a representative, a certain Mr. Dale, to Malta to oversee works. Unfortunately this decision was the cause of enormous embarrassment to the Council in Malta and to Edward Barry as well. By November 1861 Barry had suspended his man in Malta and replaced him with a junior assistant. Then on November 23, 1861, shock of all shocks, it was discovered that the foundations of what was to become the opera house were in fact faulty. Work stopped immediately. In a report on the botched work it was revealed that the foundations from Barry's plans were unsafe for the roof ironwork to say nothing of the soft stone quarried from the site and the appalling ground mortar which was considered "thin and of poor quality". The bases of the tower columns were in fact curtailed following the revelation that the walls risked settling down because they were built on unequal levels. All in all the report condemned the entire works and ordered their demolition recommending that new foundations should be laid with all the "care and accuracy" required of the science of architecture.

In many ways these very serious problems were in retrospect down to poor communication and a lack of substantial preparation both on-site and by the esteemed architect, to say nothing of the serious lack of judgement and quite possibly experience of Edward Barry's designated assistant in Malta.

It is a very great shame that no photographs (as far as I'm aware) exist of the monumental construction and overall building works that went on in the 1860s. From all accounts a photographer was employed in 1862. It would be fantastic and truly fascinating to see the images of the extensive scaffolding that was necessary for this amazing building.

Resumption of work began in March 1862 on a site which measured 206' x 112'. What was to become the new opera house was to have the capacity to seat 1095 with about 200 standing. The controversial front terrace went ahead despite its design restrictions to say nothing of the potential "threat" to Victorian ladies with high-heeled shoes and trailing dresses who had to climb the somewhat high rise steps to the terrace and the entrance! Sadly the terrace also concealed the base of the portico but despite all this it was an addition that solved several problems for the architect Edward Middleton Barry.

The interior of the building must have been quite magnificent with a rectangular foyer with staircases at both sides which led to the pit tier. At the back was the dress circle much the same as the design of the Royal Opera house Covent Garden - this was reached behind a series of columns. The stalls were accessible from a corridor and were reported as being "very convenient and novel kind". The amphitheatre and gallery were likewise reached by separate entrances. Victorian Malta was the same as Victorian Britain in so much as people of the day lived in a very class conscious society and as such the opera house in Malta was definitely no exception with the various classes subtly if positively separated! One journal of the day is quoted as applauding the design of the theatre for preventing "cramming and other inconveniences on nights when the theatre is numerously attended".

And the cost of all of this? The Builder magazine put the cost of the building at approximately £30,000 which included the furniture, the fittings and the decoration. However according to Malta government records the actual cost was in actual fact £41,224/2/6! Edward Barry was, after considerable negotiation and re-negotiation, paid £1298 (5% of the cost). His fee was finally begrudgingly settled in March 1867.

These vast sums of money caused serious consternation in Malta. Indeed it angered many especially that the money could well have been spent on better drainage, sanitation and a good water supply for the residents of the Three Cities (Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea). Despite the anger from many in Malta the work and final construction of the Opera House was defended as a "crowning achievement" presumably by those who did not have to endure daily Victorian life in the Three Cities.

By March 1865 the theatre was reaching completion, but even so the bickering and the controversies continued with the appointment of a select committee to advise on the interior design and another committee appointed to examine financial claims by contractors for additional works, Edward Barry's fees and (this is ironic) fire insurance.

The interior of the building was particularly grand and included a “frieze with musical instruments and the keystones with bearded masks carved by Salvatore Dimech”. Most amazing of all was the Governor's box that seemed to protrude at extraordinary lengths beyond the circle with its grand canopy being supported by two equally grand statues.

The new theatre under the management of GW Malfiggiani was officially opened on 9 October 1866. In actual fact the building was not opened by the governor, Sir Henry Storks, but by the Acting Governor, Major General Ridley. According to news reports the house was full by eight o'clock in the evening and by 8:30 there was from all accounts not a place and occupied. In the audience on that first night were several members of the Maltese notability as well as army and naval officers. Tickets for the opening event had been selling at a premium and not surprisingly some were "disposed of at extravagant prices" (ticket touting - Victorian style!) .

The evening started with the national anthem sung by the theatrical company and played in unison by the military band and the resident orchestra to the backdrop of the flags of Malta and Great Britain. Whilst the anthem was sung the manager proudly unveiled a bust of Queen Victoria. Then the new and first theatre season began with Vincenzo Bellini's I Puritani. The lead was sung by Adelina Luppi, the primadonna was loudly applauded and from all accounts received three curtain calls!

During its early years the Royal Opera house in Valletta was the home of many great performances. Although controversial from the start it soon built a reputation that for many was second to none in the Mediterranean with artists local to Malta and many famous names from beyond the islands. Questions and doubts surrounding Edward Middleton Barry's design quickly dissolved and was soon forgotten as the theatre gradually became part of the fabric of Malta's ancient capital city.

Sunday evening of May 25th, 1873 will be remembered in Maltese history as the date when disaster struck the relatively new Royal Opera house.

Events of that night are described in this news report:

'A theatre burned - destruction of the Malta Opera house'

Writing from Valetta, on May 27 the London Times correspondents says: "the telegram dispatches early on the morning of 26 May, will inform your readers of the destruction of the previous evening of the Royal Opera house at Malta, a splendid structure, built only a few years ago by the local government at the cost of nearly half a year's revenue of the island. The building, unfortunately was not insured.

It appears that about 10:10 o'clock, while a rehearsal was going on at the new Opera ‘La Vergine del Castello’, in the presence of about 200 persons in the stalls and pit, a naked gas jet set fire to some very light scenery on the stage, and the flames spread in such a rapid manner as to cause the greatest panic among the singers, orchestra, and the audience, who sought to effect their exit by the only door which was open at the time. Some had to break through the windows and jump into the street to escape from the flames, which in a few minutes enveloped the whole of the interior of the building, a few receiving concussions and lacerations, but fortunately none of the serious nature.

25th May 1873. Fire engulfs the Royal Opera House

Within a quarter of an hour from the first alarm being given, the roof fell in with a most racy crash, sending up such an enormous volume of way as to light the surrounding country for several miles.

The Royal Artillery, Royal Malta Fencible artillery, and Royal engineers, as well is a large body of police, were also promptly brought on the scene, and fears being entertained of the fire communicating with the surrounding buildings and large depots of powder in close proximity, efforts were chiefly directed to keep the France of these houses cool by pouring and pumping water on them, and, as an additional security, placing wet blankets over other magazines and closing the ventilators.

Parties of blue jackets and Marines from her Majesty's ships Hibernia, cruiser and Helicon, and on the respective commands of Commander Roche, Commander Dale and Lt Comander Rougemont and other officers of the above mentioned ships, likewise did great service in throwing water on tops of the neighbouring houses.

It was evident from the first that nothing can be done to save the opera house, of which in a few hours nothing remained but the outer walls and pillars, and these, it is feared, are so calcined by the intense heat of the greater part of them will have to be removed. Among the first who appeared to render assistance where the officers and men of the Austrian frigate Daudolo, import, one of whom, I regret to say was rather severely hurt. Excellent order was maintained by the military and police, which enabled the governor's instructions to be efficiently carried out.

Fears of the depot magazines, in close vicinity to the conflagration exploding, created a great panic among the population of the town and suburbs, and thousands of persons, suddenly aroused from their sleep, fled with their families, many with scarcely any covering, in all directions in the country, some extending their flight as far as the centre of the island. Fortunately, there was no wind to carry the flames to the adjacent houses, or the results would be much more deplorable than a mere distraction of this magnificent building".

It is clear from contemporary news reports that in actual fact although the fire destroyed the recently built Opera House the outcome could have been a lot more tragic. With 200 people inside the building and only one exit in use it is quite surprising that there were no fatalities. Equally from all accounts the authorities were frightened that the fire could well have spread to Our Lady of Victories Church and the gunpowder depot at St James Cavalier. Thankfully military services were quick on the scene and a damping down process of nearby buildings saved this event from becoming infinitely more serious. In many ways it is quite possible that the fire at the Opera House on that fateful night could have been remembered in history as a ‘Great Fire of Valletta’ and not merely the first destruction of the Opera House. Had the fire taken hold in the city and spread the loss of life would have been inevitable and the destruction unthinkable.

The burnt out foyer of the Opera House

In retrospect the worst bit of news, apart from the destruction of this beautiful building, was the fact that it was not insured a fact cruelly used as a reminder in an advertisement for the North British and Mercantile Fire Insurance Company of London, represented locally by Addison, Duncan & Co of 173d, Strada Mercanti, Valletta who reminded newspaper readers that the "destruction of the new Opera House should be a warning for all to ensure their property against fire." The truth of the matter is that fire insurance premiums on the theatre were taken out in 1866 but by 1873 had not been renewed.

Speculation soon mounted as to the cause of the fire. Arson had not been excluded. The official version was that in practice during rehearsals the lighting was provided by a few smaller naked gas lamps without protective glass tubes. When one of these lamps inadvertently touched some papers the fire began. The police arrested the theatre lamplighter Censu Calleja and the stage mechanic Luigi Frendo. They were both accused of negligence and were fined £10 and £20 respectively. They initially served some time in prison but the theatre manager paid the balance of the fine which would secure the release of both men. It's generally thought today that both men were scapegoats – tragically Calleja died in the lunatic asylum and Frendo of ill-health. They were the fall guys of this appalling incident.

There is one final twist to this whole episode when at five o'clock on the morning after the fire there was an attempt to save the marble bust of Queen Victoria that was so famously unveiled on that glorious opening night. As it was taken away it crumbled to pieces!

Cover Page

Introduction

About this website

new Going Topless (and wall-less)

Memories of the Opera House

History of the Opera House

Rough Beginnings

The Rebuilding

The Hey-Day

War and Destruction

Post War Controversies

Coming soon ... features, opinions, plans, editorial contributions and developments