The Renovation of the Teatro Nuovo in Spoleto: Analysis of the Acoustic Quality of an Italian Opera House

Abstract

After a complete renovation work and a structural and functional improvement, the Teatro Nuovo has been returned to the city of Spoleto (Italy) and its audience as a renewed venue for the renowned global "Two Worlds Festival." The restoration works of the theatre started in 2003 to improve safety levels and the operational functionality of the machines on the stage, including acoustic performances, to meet the current needs of the show. The local authorities (Umbria Region) committed the University of Bologna for collaborating with the Teatro Nuovo, in order to analyse and improve its acoustic quality. Two acoustic measurement campaigns, respectively before and after restoration of the theatre, were carried out in order to monitor the Concert Hall's acoustic performance, verifying the preservation of its original acoustic features. In order to control both monoaural and spatial sound distribution, the ESS pre-equalized signal, emitted by means of an omnidirectional loudspeaker, was recorded using a dummy head and a Soundfield probe. The results of the measurements of every campaign are presented and evaluated in this paper. As shown, the acoustic performances of the theatre are globally improved and contribute to excellent perception of the acoustic environment.