The reception of Adolphe Appia's Tristan und Isolde at La Scala (1923)

This thesis explores factors at work in the critical failure of Adolphe Appia's staging of Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde at Milan's Teatro alia Scala in 1923, under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. The research views the historical and sociopolitical context of Appia's appearance on the Italian stage through contemporary aesthetic concerns. Its aim is to situate the critics' reaction to Tristan within the larger landscape of the Italian response to modernism and the ongoing intellectual project of restoration of order and tradition. In particular, my analysis brings into focus the debate on the reform of theatre, the elitist character of La Scala, ongoing changes to working and artistic practices under Toscanini's guidance, and the misoneism and affinity for theatricalism that characterized the Italian theatre world at that time. The research is based on Italian press reviews, Appia's writings, extant production materials, and other primary sources, in addition to the literature on Appia, Wagner, and Toscanini.