Berti and the National Theatre of Music Comedy in Baku
We are in Azerbaijan, more specifically in the capital city of Baku, which is also the nation’s largest cultural center. Today Baku can boast of an arts and culture scene consisting of 30 museums, 7 theaters, 11 institutions of higher education, a philharmonic society, a theater, a film studio, several cinemas and several libraries housed in the city’s most beautiful buildings.
In 2009, work began on behalf of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan to renovate the entire complex. The project included restoration, renovation as well as some construction and extension work from scratch. In each case, the basic philosophy was to resume and preserve the original materials and techniques in order to restore the historic theater that has hosted and continues to host opera performances to its former glory.
Berti collaborated with FontanaGrande, a first-class general contractor, for the flooring of several areas of the theater: the conference room, the presidential apartment and some foyers. A solid parquet with 14mm thickness was chosen for the floor, which was laser-worked and inlaid according to the methodology of excellence for which Berti is world-renowned. The essences used are wide and diverse, in fact we find Oak, Cabreuva, Panga, Maple, Cherry and Walnut. The compositions include quadrottes, borders and decors made to measure according to the customer’s specifications. The floors, as well as the entire project, were made and designed in such a way as to maintain the monumental style of the historic theater, so as to preserve the style of the existing part, and build the new area in perfect accord with the existing structure. For a renovation work that at the same preserves by giving a new spirit to the striking atmospheres of a historic building with national importance for Azerbaijan.
The National Theatre is a theater built in Soviet times, and renovations began with the aim of giving the theater a classical style of the late Baroque period with clear references to the Italian-style theater style particularly popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
