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Activities


 

 

1 - Timetable of the activities during the Competition

 

 

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4th 2012

11:00 – 18:00: Welcome and registration of the Choirs (Theatre Novelli)

15:00: Choral Competition (Class E - Church of San Giovanni Battista)

21:00: First non-competitive Concert for choirs class D and E (Theatre Novelli)

 

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5th 2012

Morning and Afternoon: Welcome and registration of the Choirs (Theatre Novelli)

9:30: Choral Competition (Class A - Theatre Novelli)

15:00: Choral Competition (Class D - Theatre Novelli)

21:00: Second non-competitive Concert for choirs classes A and C (Theatre Novelli)

 

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6th 2012

9:30: Choral Competition (Class C - Theatre Novelli)

16:30: Sung Service at the Church of St. Agostino (Rimini centre)

21:00: Third non-competitive Concert for choirs class B (Theatre Novelli)

 

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7th 2012

9:30: Choral Competition (Class B - Theatre Novelli)

17:00: Choral Parade

21:00: Choral Competition (Class X) – Awarding and Closing Ceremony - Theatre Novelli

 

 

2 - Sung Service at Rimini Church of St. Agostino

 

The first 10 Choirs selecting this option on the entry form may sing all together a Mass at the Church of St. Agostino, directed by Andrea Angelini, on Saturday afternoon 6 October 2012 at 16:30. Here below are the repertoire and the music scores in PDF.

 

Processional to be decided
Kyrie to be decided
Alleluia to be decided
Offertory to be decided
Sanctus to be decided
Communion to be decided
to be decided
Recessional to be decided

The Sung Service at the Rimini Cathedral is one of the most intensive moment of the Competition. The imposing church constructed by the Augustine monks at the end of the 13th century had a rectangular plan and a trussed roof. At one end there was a large apse with two side chapels, one of which formed the base of the bell-tower. The façade seen today was extensively altered by work done in the 18th century, when the interior was also modified. However, the sides, with their thin pilasters, the three rear apses and the soaring bell-tower still constitute a precious testimony of Gothic religious architecture in Rimini. The surviving decorations from the early 14th century consist in frescoes and a large wooden crucifix. It seems that several of the painters who brought fame to the 14th-century Rimini School, including the brothers Giovanni, Giuliano and Zangulus, started their careers working in this church. The 14th-century frescoes were concealed by later decorations until a violent earthquake in 1916 revealed their presence. Only in 1926 was it possible to remove and restore the magnificent Last Judgement painted over the triumphal arch, and now conserved in the Civic Museum. When it was reconstructed in the 18th century, the church was enhanced with important ornaments, such as the Baroque plasterwork on the ceiling by Ferdinando Bibiena and frescoes by Vittorio Maria Bigari. Only a few traces remain of the large monastery that once stood next to the church, now incorporated into the 18th-century structure following the disastrous earthquake of 1786. The monastery is known to have had an important library and a famous Studiorum, as well as a school.

Map (Church of St. Agostino):

 
Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

 

3 - The venue of the Competition

Teatro Ermete Novelli
Via Cappellini 3 - Rimini
tel. +39 0541 24152

 

 

On the 27th March 1895 the Town Council decided to build a brick stage in the centre of the Racetrack, between the beach and the harbour. The measure was deemed necessary to attract the foremost theatre and variety companies during the tourist season, some of which, in the past, had declined the invitation because of the precariousness of the existing stage. The venue for various types of shows had long been placed temporarily in the area near the Kursaal, and when the Town Council decided to build a stable structure here the history of the theatre began. It was originally named “Arena al Lido” and later “Teatro Ermete Novelli”.

 

For over a decade this "friendly fairground booth" built entirely of wood, mounted in June and dismantled at the end of the season, became one of the most important summer evening venues, contending the audience with the other two focal points for entertainment in Rimini: the Kursaal and the Pier.

 

The Arena al Lido was the property of the Town Council, but – like all the other tourist attractions in Rimini – it was run by the “Società Anonima Bagni”, the company which managed the bathing establishments.  In 1911 the Arena al Lido ran the risk of closure as it did not conform to public safety standards. Over the years, the entire structure had become worn and shaky. Under these conditions the theatre, now decrepit, was taken over by Ermete Novelli. This great star performer decided to carry out a series of important works of restoration and embellishment. On the 10th August the newspaper “Momento”, commenting on the work done by the artist, wrote: "Mr. Ermete Novelli has worked one of his usual miracles: he has given new life to a dead structure". And a few days later the people of Rimini, grateful for his intervention, decided to name the theatre after him. The official baptism took place on the 29th August 1911, with a comedy interpreted by Novelli himself, after a series of very successful performances. That evening Count Carlo Biancoli, the chairman of SAB, took the stage to thank publicly, on behalf of the people of Rimini, the famous star of the show, and to thunderous applause from the audience he re-named the theatre "Politeama Ermete Novelli." Under the direction of the famous actor the theatre near the beach became a focal point for the best Italian theatre companies and for displays of elegance and worldly pleasures.

 

The war closed this fascinating chapter of history.

 

On the 30th January 1919 Ermete Novelli died and the theatre by the sea was taken over by the company which managed Rimini Politeama. After the war, and four years of deplorable neglect, the theatre no longer offered any guarantee of safety: the framework was corroded and the seating precarious, and the whole building threatened to collapse at any moment. The new management patched up the structure as best they could, and the theatre came to life once more: for the next six seasons the calendar of the Novelli Theatre entertained its fans once more. But in August 1925 the one-time "friendly fairground booth," now "a rotting carcass", was demolished.

 

After 10 years, in the same area, a new theatre was built, again named after Ermete Novelli. This building, modern, functional and in "sober and elegant" twentieth-century style, was built throughout in reinforced concrete and could seat 1,500 people between stalls and gallery. Designed and built by surveyor Oddo Rondini and by engineer Enrico Del Piano, the new theatre filled the huge gap in the artistic and recreational life of the seaside part of the city. The major Italian companies came once more to perform at the new Novelli Theatre and for some years the city of Rimini was once more a venue for enthusiastic audiences and  all the pomp and elegance of the times of the old “Arena al Lido” were renewed.  The theatre miraculously survived the carpet bombings of 1943 and '44, although there was some damage to the stage. For two years it was occupied by the Allies and used to entertain the occupying troops; in the summer of 1945 a modest opera season took place and in 1946 there were several variety shows.

 

In 1947 the theatre was returned to the city.

 

Without any explanation whatsoever, the Allies returned the Theatre in a filthy and severely damaged state: the roof, ceiling, windows, walls and decorations were devastated; boxes and seats were beyond repair; the electrical system was completely destroyed, and all the scenic equipment had disappeared. That same summer, after substantial restoration work, the Novelli Theatre opened again to the public and began once more to fulfil its role as the artistic, cultural and recreational centre of the seaside part of the city.

 

Map (Theatre Novelli):

 

 
Visualizzazione ingrandita della mappa

 

 

 


 

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