Finally the cultural spaces have reopened so it’s time to flaunt your most elegant dress and enter the history of the Opera while attending a play at the Theatre. Some weeks ago we had the huge pleasure to visit the Fenice Opera House discovering so many things we couldn’t imagine. We took part in Mahler’s “The Titan” dress rehearsal conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. So here’s a sneak peek of what you’re missing!
10 THINGS WE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE FENICE OPERA HOUSE:
- it was destroyed two times by fire (1836, 1996) and the last time they used Luchino Visconti’s clips from the movie “Senso” as a guide to rebuild the spaces
- besides the main venue it has a lot of rooms, some of which are used for small concerts, book presentations, welcoming events, exhibitions
- the today’s entrance was once the back gate! They used to enter from the door that face the canal-
- the historical Archive -just because it was in a different building- is the only one in the world to preserve all the documents from its first foundation up to nowadays (letters, memorabilia etc)
- due to the fire they found frescoes representing Dante Alighieri’s journey into hell
- many artisans contributed to the restoration
- the Theater has big elevators to transport the scenography (it’s not obvious in Venice!)
- there’s a floor dedicated to Maria Callas
- depending on the floor we have different perceptions of the Teather’s measures (it appears bigger from the top and center)
- there’s a hidden Palladio tribute with a scale model of the Palladian Basilica (Vicenza) in the rehearsal room of the choir
The Fenice Opera House is one of the most outstanding theaters in Europe and you can join many opera concerts via streaming through the official ‘Teatro La Fenice’ Youtube Channel.
