Headquarter
The Academy is based in the historic Teatro Sociale di Stradella, inaugurated in 1846.
The Ridotto — a prestigious suite of over 200 square meters comprising several reception and teaching rooms — is located on the second floor of the theatre.
Fondazione Tetracordo ETS also utilizes the Nerina Brambilla Hall, which hosts concerts and other artistic events.
Stradella, situated approximately 60 km south of Milan, is one of the most populous towns in the Oltrepò Pavese, a hilly region renowned for its scenic beauty, castles, and traditions in gastronomy and winemaking.
For many decades, Stradella was also one of the world’s leading centers for accordion manufacturing.
History
«A theatre that seemed to rise by magic, with an elegance never before seen».
This is how contemporary accounts described the opening of the Teatro Sociale di Stradella in September 1846, inaugurated with a performance of Ernani by Giuseppe Verdi, conducted by Angelo Mariani.
The theatre was built thanks to the initiative of a group of local citizens, who, two years earlier, had founded the Society for the Erection of the Theatre.
Architecture
Designed by architect Giovanbattista Chiappa — renowned for major public and private works in Pavia, Lodi, and Milan — the building reflects the neoclassical theatre typology that was popular in the 19th century.
Its architectural model is explicitly inspired by Teatro alla Scala in Milan (1778), designed by Piermarini.
The theatre occupies the central section of a refined neoclassical structure, featuring a plastered façade with string courses.
The tripartite façade, intended to be viewed from the square, has a recessed central section adorned with a balustraded balcony.
The entrance portal is particularly striking, crowned by a stone bas-relief depicting theatrical masks and musical instruments surrounding a central lyre.
The interior comprises a horseshoe-shaped auditorium, a ground-level stage, three tiers of wooden boxes with balconies, and a gallery.
From the entrance hall, two curved staircases lead to the upper levels and provide access to the boxes.
The ceiling features a large neoclassical rosette.
The Ridotto, the current seat of the Academy, is located on the second tier of boxes.
The theatre contains 44 boxes, originally corresponding to the number of founding members of the Society.
The restored seating capacity is approximately 300.
In 1949, the Teatro Sociale di Stradella was declared a National Monument, as a “characteristic example of 19th-century Italian theatre architecture”.
A construction site of the mind
A cultural asset of prestige and also, a space designated to the promotion of the performing activities, the Teatro Sociale di Stradella has the ambition to present itself as a fundamental element of a comprehensive project to develop the historical and cultural heritage of the territory. Not only that, the theatre as a consumer space, more or less traditional, but as a dynamic place, open to the diversity of the arts and cultures of the world. A real “construction site of the mind”.
In this context, We have developed the “Accademia del Ridotto” project.
Notes by Pierangelo Lombardi