With the renovation of Teatro Colón behind schedule, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, the theater will not be ready for its 100th anniversary on May 25th. I also noticed that the Teatro Colón has a new web site, much nicer than the older one (though as of today the new site is still lacking a lot of information).
Let’s take a look back at the 1908 season of Teatro Colón, which was filled with productions.
Aida by Verdi
Performed: May 25, 26, & 28
Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas
Six performances starting on May 30
Madama Butterfly by Puccini
Five performances starting on June 4
Tristán e Isolda by Wagner
Performed: June 10, 12, & 20; July 2 & 7; August 8
Rigoletto by Verdi
Five performances starting on June 14
Tosca by Puccini
Three performances starting on June 16
La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli
Five performances starting on June 24, including a gala performance for July 9.
Paolo y Francesca by Luigi Mancinelli
Performed: July 4 & 5, August 1
Mefistófeles by Arrigo Boito
Six performances starting on July 12
Otello by Verdi
Performed: July 18, 23, & 26; August 21
El Barbero de Sevilla by Rossini
Performed: July 28 & 30; August 16, 23, & 30
Ipagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo
Performed: August 5, 11, & 25; September 11
Il Trovatore by Verdi
Performed: August 6, 9, 14, & 23; September 6
Cendrillon by Jules Massenet
Three performances starting on August 13
Don Giovanni by Mozart
Performed: August 18, 20, & 27
Sigfrido by Wagner
Performed: August 29 & 30; September 3 & 7
Aurora by Hector Panizza
Performed: September 5, 8, & 9
I promise to get back to some postings about things other than the city that fades away series. (I have an upcoming set of posts about opera in Buenos Aires). But here’s another place on Virrey Cevallos that I came across, this time in the corner of Constitución rather than Monserrat.
Okay, the building that it replaced (again courtesy of the city’s mapping site) was long neglected and the ground floor destroyed. What were they thinking? That ground floor looked like the entrance to a prison.
Certainly, demolition and building new was cheaper than attempting a restoration. Not only is it amazing at the rate that older structures are being torn down, it’s astonishing at the many beautiful residences that have become low-income housing.
Some people obviously look around Buenos Aires and see tremendous opportunity. A large population, crumbling buildings, cheap labor, and apparently little regulation make Buenos Aires a dream city for real estate developers. But, oh, if it could just be easier to kick the squatters out of those buildings and foreclosures could be more rapid then the lending market could take off, spurring even more construction, new homes, and …well, the economy here runs in cycles anyway.
To be fair, Buenos Aires - like everywhere - has gone through periods of building booms…note all those hideous apartment buildings that seem dated from the 1970s and 1980s. Perhaps most notably was the massive demolition of entire city blocks to create Av 9 de Julio, the diagonals, and let’s not forget, even Av de Mayo. Most of these lovely buildings of faded elegance replaced previous structures.
Will the new construction displace an essential character of the city, the architecture that currently distinguishes Buenos Aires from most other cities in the Western Hemisphere?
I just had a vision of the future of Buenos Aires: in an attempt to ease traffic congestion, an elevated highway is constructed above Av 9 de Julio.
Meanwhile in Monserrat
This new apartment building is going up at the corner of Virrey Cevallos and Chile. That’s actually a very good location if you want something in the center of the city.
But look closely at the edges of the neighboring building. Demolition crews do a sloppy job, leaving traces of the former structure. What was this places before?
Ceci actually used to live just down the street on Virrey Cevallos a few years back and I have actually walked this block many times back in 2003. Was there something there then or was it already gone? Honestly, I can’t even remember. Fortunately, the city’s mapping site reminds us with this photo from 1997:
I want to say that I remember this corner from 2003 but I’m not sure. Perhaps I’m mistaking it with some other similar corner. Well, perhaps Buenos Aires only needs one corner like this and the rest can go away … in this city that fades away.
