Several name changes have occurred during the theatre's lifetime, the first in 1821 when it became the
Teatro Grande and it was under this name that the theatre was the site of two Verdi opera premieres:
Il corsaro in 1848 (featuring the soprano
Giuseppina Strepponi, who Verdi married in 1859, in the leading role) and
Stiffelio, a production which Verdi supervised - not without controversy - in 1850. However, before these premieres, Verdi's operas had begun to dominate the Teatro Grande's stage, followed, as the century progressed, by all the major works of the opera repertoire, including those by
Puccini and
Wagner. A further name change followed in 1861 due to a change from private to public ownership. Thus, it became the
Teatro Comunale and existed as such throughout the latter years of the 19th century. By 1881, seating capacity had been increased to 2,000 through the use of existing standing room spaces; but, by that December, the theatre was declared to be unsafe and it was closed for renovations, during which electricity replaced gas lighting for the reopening in 1889 with 1,000 seats. Within hours of his death in January 1901, the theatre was once again renamed, this time to honour the memory of Giuseppe Verdi. It was extensively restored between 1992 and 1997 and re-opened with about 1,300 seats and with a
Viva Verdi concert which included excerpts from many of the composer's operas. (Like the restoration of
La Scala between 2001 and 2004, a temporary alternative venue was quickly created in Trieste and the
Sala Tripcovich continues to offer space for chamber opera and operettas.) A major feature of the Teatro Verdi's programming in the past 40 years, which stems from the original Austrian occupation of the city in the 19th century and the fact that Trieste did not become part of Italy until 1918, is the "International Festival of Operetta" which takes place every summer. ==Premieres==