A new theatre from the old Opera House ruins

Mike Magri

Jun 29th 2009, 08:55

I admit that i still have some little reservations on some of the other projects as i need to be more informed of the details..

But an OPEN AIR THEATRE....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOO WAYYYYYYYY... The idea itself already spells.... MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN..... WASTE OF VALUABLE TAXPAYERS` MONEY.......

GET ADVICE FROM JOSEPH CALLEJA.. AND THE LIKES.. I AM SURE THAT THEY WILL COME UP WITH A BETTER IDEA.....

Simonide Rancati Chapelle

Jun 28th 2009, 22:19

Toscanini always refused to conduct in open air theatres: ''all'aperto si gioca a bocce, non si fa della musica''.
Fireworks, overhead noise, cold, rain and mosquito bites are great discomforts during a show!
If we want this theatre to be used also in the winter it must have a roof.

Jonathan Cini

Jun 28th 2009, 14:15

This design is a complete insult to the Royal Opera House ruins. The design is based on the modernist style and I suggest any prospective Prime Minister after 2013 to secure that the first pledge in his party's electoral manifesto will be to demolish Piano's nightmare within a week. Any prospective candidate for the next general election who promises this to me will gain my number one preference.
God, and Architect Barry, please forgive us.

R Grima

Jun 28th 2009, 13:30

@Hector Mamo

You are splitting hairs. I have made no comment on the actual Architecture. My criticism is solely to do with the practicalities and comfort of the Open Air Theatre. I think they are justified. The choice is sitting in the wet cold or sweating and being bitten . The distractions of festa's ,fireworks,traffic and overhead noise,nightly distractions to residents(not the occasional festa or band march) seem to be forgotten in your haste to praise.What is being proposed is not much different to what was done a year or so ago by a local well known Architect with a name akin to yours as a temporary measure.

You cannot by any stretch of the imagination call this a National Theatre. By the way I am all for modern good Architecture and not for recreating what was there before. That is the past and must stay that way ,but I certainly expected something at least comfortable ,the better to enjoy what is on offer. This proposal does not fit the bill.

Chris Ebejer

Jun 28th 2009, 13:10

And should these pseudo modernist intellectuals are now pleased with an odious scaffolding supporting some kind of metal partitioning erected over just 60 years old demolished building.

And where is the City gate design? Should now we call this breach a contemporary design? It’s the same case of the Emperor’s new clothes story.

These proposals are nothing but a sign of a decadent society that accepts everything without good taste and a lack of aesthetics. Beauty is a joy forever.

I shall never and cannot express the approval and appreciation for this project as for many cultural lovers; this is a sin against our culture and an insult to Valletta. A project like this is the kind to be found in Beijing or Malaysia but not in a European Valletta.

Chris Ebejer

Jun 28th 2009, 13:09

This project shall be listed in history as the Piano’s Paprata!
Is it possible that there are many who still do believe, if someone is famous so he’s the right person? I would have given Piano a chance yes, designing the airport or Tignie, but not Valletta.

And I didn’t attend for this presentation yesterday although I was invited as a matter of fact that I whole heartedly disagrees and cannot applaud the idea of leaving those brutal flats and erecting a parliament at the entrance of a Noble city.

And all those who claimed that Barry’s neo classical architecture didn’t compliment with Valletta, Ghandhom il-wicc issa jghidu li dan il-binja imtajra hija kompatibbli?!

Anthony A.Mifsud

Jun 28th 2009, 12:16

Looking terribly good, I have one question to ask " Should we say, a play is on in peak summer, and we start poppinig patterds, we stop the play? "

Dr. Piano we don't have the area that allow such works.

Should it rain, where will we run to?

Should an Air Craft pass overhead, that we can divert!!

I am lost please advise

Toni

J.Borg

Jun 28th 2009, 12:06

Yes it seems nice as a project.
But, as we know we are truly masters in maintanance and upkeeping of our projetcs.
Being an open air theathre, has care and costs been taken into account into the upkeeping and maintance of the theathre.
What type of seating is going to be used. Seats in cloth covering for me are out of the question because of rain and plastic seating isn't durable due to the heavy sunshine these will be getting.
So, what will be the cost in maintaing seating as good as it will be when the project is ready.
Couldn't some sort of transparent covering be made.
Also, Malta as many i think know is a dusty place, so has care been taken in cost and maintance is keeping the place an apparatus dust free.
I think that these are questions which have to be answered and not just simply reply we will see after......

iCocker

Jun 28th 2009, 11:58

I have seen many architectural places in this these having a relic and a functional minimal and modern design combined together, giving the idea of a roman amphitheatre and a sense of openese to the ambience, apart from the stone their is light that make an architecture imposing ... so please we need to get away with these ideas of boroque and neoclassic we Maltese are in love with! It's an evolvement and a memorial and reminder to the scar WW2 left to our island!

As a design student I comply ...

R Grima

Jun 28th 2009, 11:50

All those so called theatres are either badly equipped with a stage meant for conferences (MCC),too small and unheated (Manoel) or even smaller with limited seating in the round(St .James.

WE do not have a decent Theatre in Malta. I was rather hoping this would be the one,but @Hector Mamo

instead we got an open air place guaranteed to annoy the resident's by it's noise whilst the audience either shiver or sweat trying to listen to some play or orchestra who in turn are competing with traffic noise,or some festa's fireworks. Does Mr Piano really know our culture well?.Shouldn't someone have told him?. I don't even go to the Manoel because it's freezing in Winter, let alone go to this place on a cold wet winter's night to freeze. If you sit somewhere for 2/3 hours with very little movement..the cold gets to you,you know.I would have thought that's elementary.

Hector Mamo

Jun 28th 2009, 11:33

@ R Grima

Ghal performances tax-xitwa ghandna diga diversi postijiet fejn jistghu isiru. Biex insemmi tnejn fil-belt stess, Manoel theatre, St.James u Dar Mediterran. Tajjeb li jkollna xi haga differenti u versatili ghas-sajf.

jien dilettant tat-teatru u anke tal-opra. Immur nara diversi xoghlijiet li jittellghu u nista nassigurak li ma nkunu follol fit-teatru. Tajjeb li t-teatru rjal ikun b'tali mod li jkun jista jinbidel b'hafna modi differenti

R Grima

Jun 28th 2009, 11:12

@Pauline Borg

Does all this happen while we are wearing our thermal underwear and our ski clothes whilst shielding our face from the rain,sitting on a wet seat on a November/December evening, or on a blamy Summers night striped to the hilt busy swatting the mosquitoes?

Sandro Zahra

Jun 28th 2009, 11:00

i do not agree with those suggesting to rebuild the opera house ..... if so i would suggest to rebuild the aubergue that once stood instead of the opera house which will be more suited with the surrounding buildings.

My point that we have to keep the current buildings together with their history and re-design them according to today's building style - ie Mr Piano's design in my opinion are right since they reflect both the past and the present.

Pauline Borg

Jun 28th 2009, 10:20

I suggest to all of you that you go and visit the exhibition at the Museum of Archeaolgy - it is something which you have experience and see the theatre and its features - this picture is too static for you to understand - the sides of the theatre will dub as a projector screen and at the exhibition you can see the effect that these will create so before you start with your lame comments I suggest that you go and have a look....

Rocco Cauchi

Jun 28th 2009, 10:20

A Parliament on stilts, a quasi-theatre with steel pole upshots, a gateless breech in the walls? It seems so crude and begs a simple question: given the foreign avant-garde choice, why not save money and shut down the Faculty of Architecture altogether?
Let's remember one thing: temporary structures or architectural embellishments have never found good ground with our authorities once the utilitarian aspect has been fulfilled. Witness the still unspurting water from 2 conceived fountains at City Gate, 2 reliefs of Pius V and GM La Valette on the outlooking facade, the niches at the St John Annex in Merchants Street - all dating from the sixties.
That is why I squirm when I hear of movable/ replaceable parts in our architecture, be it the planned para-theatre or the new Palace Square arrangements. Thinking too big, especially on the work we can load onto our manual workers, is a major problem which our sitting, couchy administrators need to address.
Besides, I do not envision the nice jablo plans as of today, but how they will function at a time when electricity fails (lift, CO2) and crowds (and floats?) have to use an 8-mt wide "artistic" breach in the wall.

C. Schembri

Jun 28th 2009, 10:18

As a Design Student myself, I cannot but LIKE he designs Mr. Piano has developed.

Well Done! Malta finally gets what it Deserves!

Joseph Saliba

Jun 28th 2009, 10:09

this is truly a design that befits the city of Valletta in the 21st century - it is a state-of-the-art theatre that respects the past and treats it as a living monument to culture...it will represent the soul of valletta and the functionality and versality of the space will enure that it can be enjoyed by the population at large - its walls which will dub as projection space will ensure something magical and unique - finally Malta has its performing space which it deserves in its capital city...thumbs up

Franco Farrugia

Jun 28th 2009, 09:55

Gostibus, gostibus. What seems inspirational and out-of-this-world to some people, appears dull and inappropriate to others. Let's not forget that the great majority of the people (as everywhere else in the world) are artistically illiterate and they shouldn't be blamed for having different tastes from Piano. I - and I'm sure most Maltese - would have been a lot happier to see different ideas from both local and foreign architects in an international design competition. Now it seems that the die has been cast and people's comments and ideas about the planned project are all a waste of time,

paul mizzi

Jun 28th 2009, 01:32

"The site was also too small to be used as a Parliament or a modern opera house."

I recall Joseph Calleja saying that the site could contain all the requirements for an opera house!!

This structure will forever keep the debate open as to when the theatre is rebuilt to its former glory. Thumbs up! At least our sons could still rethink to do it properly one day!

James De Giorgio

Jun 28th 2009, 00:35

Why not rebuild the Opera House retaining it's former facade while still keeping it roofless? The iron structure thing might look hideously shabby with time.