The Fenice Opera House: A phoenix thrice risen from the ashes
The third Fenice Opera House, Venice. Photo by Adriano 30.06.05 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 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.
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