Giulia Grisi in her, she was the first to play the part of Adalgisa in Bellini's "Norma" in Milan, in which the dramatic soprano Giuditta Pasta took the title role. Grisi appeared in Paris in 1832 in the title role of Semiramide in Rossini's opera and was a great success; in 1834 she made her debut in London as Ninetta in "La gazza ladra"; and, again in Paris, in 1835 she created the role of Elvira in the premiere of Bellini's final opera, "I puritani" at the Théâtre-Italien. In 1842, Donizetti wrote the parts of Norina and Ernesto in "Don Pasquale" for
La Scala on 25 May 1874 and he announced in 1886 that La Scala would host the premiere of what was to become his penultimate opera, "Otello". The premiere of his last opera, "Falstaff" was also given in the theatre. In 1982, the Filarmonica della Scala was established, drawing its members from the larger pool of musicians that comprise the Orchestra della Scala. The theatre underwent a major renovation from early 2002 to late 2004. The theatre closed following the traditional 7 December 2001 season opening performances of "Otello", which ran through December. From 19 January 2002 to November 2004, the opera