The Fenice Opera House

 A phoenix thrice risen from the ashes.

The third Fenice Opera House, Venice. Photo by Adriano 30.06.05. Image published under GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2 or later

Few buildings can have been so ill-fated as Venice’s famous opera house, the Fenice. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Fenice has thrice survived destruction, and remains one of the world’s most prestigious operatic venues.

The forerunner of the Fenice, the San Benedetto Theatre, was destroyed by fire in 1774. Although rebuilt by its owners, the Veneri family, a massive financial contribution was demanded from the theatre’s managers. They promptly abandoned the new building and constructed their own opera house on the banks of the Rio del Veste in the Campo San Fantin, barely 250 metres from the Piazza San Marco.

This new theatre was named the Fenice (Phoenix) because in spite of the difficulties created by the Veneri family it had risen from the ashes of the wrecked San Benedetto. The inaugural performance, Giovanni Paisiello's "I Giochi di Agrigento", was held in 1792.

The theatre rapidly established a reputation as one of Europe’s foremost opera houses. Major works by Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti were premiered at the Fenice during the years following the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

This theatre was also destroyed by fire shortly before the Christmas of 1836. Immediately after the disaster occurred, its managers instructed the brothers, Tommaso and Giambattista Meduna, to design another theatre on the same site. Within a year, the second Fenice was staging productions.

The interior of the second Fenice in 1837, Museo Correr

The composer most associated with the second Fenice is Giuseppe Verdi. Between 1844 and 1857 he premiered several of his most famous works there, including La Traviata and Rigoletto.

The Fenice was closed during the Great War but quickly regained prominence in the twenties and thirties. In 1930 it staged  the First International Festival of Contemporary Music.

It is a mark of the pride and affection which Venetians feel for their opera house that after its destruction for a third time, following an arson attack in 1996, the authorities decided to construct a virtual replica designed by Aldo Rossi.

The Gran Sala of the third Fenice, photo by Pavel Krok 2005. Image published under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License

The fact that the third Fenice unashamedly attempts to mimic its predecessor has resulted in fierce criticism by those who believe that the city should have built a modern theatre instead of a "fake, kitsch 19th century imitation".

Leaving this issue aside, it does seem that the third Fenice, which first opened in 2003, has poorer acoustics than its predecessor. Its furnishings are also rather too bright and garish for those with more conservative tastes.

It nevertheless remains one of the world's great operatic venues.

© 2006 LACT Limited. All rights reserved.

 

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