The acoustics of the NUOVO TEATRO COMUNALE in Cagliari

In 1967, the Cagliari municipality started building a new Opera House, to replace the 19th century theatre, destroyed during the Second World War. After an initial stage, the works were interrupted due to lack of funds, and restarted only in 1985. Only when the works were taken up again was the acoustic consultant contacted, who therefore intervened on an already partly constructed building. It soon became clear that the room shape was problematic from an acoustic point of view. Thus, a 1:50 scale model was built on which the first reflection acoustic field was studied. A series of experimental measurements was also carried out inside the structure. From these experiments it became clear that the shape of the hall needed to be changed. In particular, the inclination of the side walls had to be varied in order to increase the number of useful reflections in the central area of the main floor. The work inside the hall was finished in 1993, but the stage equipment necessary for the production of operas is still missing. In order to make it possible for the theatre to be inaugurated, an acoustic chamber was designed and built. This means that the hall can be used for symphony concerts. The theatre was inaugurated in September 1993 with a concert conducted by Riccardo Muti. In this paper, the Authors present the experimental results obtained throughout the whole project development, until the present situation with the acoustic chamber.