La Fenice Venice

Visiting the Fenice Theatre or attending an opera or concert or theatrical performance is a true Venetian pleasure.

Angel and I were in St. Mark’s Square in Venice and thought, “Why don’t we go and visit La Fenice, which is just behind there? “. In fact, “La Fenice” is very close to Piazza S. Marco: about 5 minutes. This theater was renovated following a fire in 1996 that almost completely destroyed it, as always the phoenix rises from its ashes. We were doubly lucky, as when we visited at around 10:30 in the morning, we also had the chance to watch the orchestra rehearse for the evening opera. The acoustics are phenomenal, and the interior of the theater is extraordinary. The price of a visit with audioguide is very affordable, however, to attend a performance you need to book well in advance.

Oriane: It was magical! Enveloping! At the first movement, after a minute I was crying!

Angel: Don’t abuse it, it’s just an opera! Nothing serious!

Oriane: But you cried too! I saw you!

Angel: You bet, it’s got nothing to do with it: mine were guy tears!

Following our first visit to La Fenice, during which we’d been lucky enough to attend a rehearsal and get a tiny glimpse of the sound rendered by this temple of music, we couldn’t resist booking an evening to see an opera at this sublime venue on our next trip to Venice.
So during our stay at Carnival 2018, we went to hear and see the opéra-bouffe “L’italiana in Algeri” written by Rossini in 1813. And we were not disappointed! Besides the fact that this opera was written in Venice, that it’s funny and rhythmic, that the costumes and music are sublime… it’s the extraordinary rendering in this hall that we want to try and describe!

From the very first notes, we were literally enveloped by a crystalline, vivid, penetrating sound. The music was all around us, we felt it physically. Our eyes misted over, our breathing changed, emotion overwhelmed us. Yes, from the very first notes, we cried. And yes, so did that big guy Angel!

Angel: What the hell is Oriane talking about! I had a cold, and there were draughts! It’s an old building, it was dusty, you have to understand, too!

Oriane: No coment… I’m going on…

So I was saying… the music was everywhere. Impossible to know where the sound was coming from.

Oriane: When all the singers were singing together, for a moment I thought the whole room had started singing! I almost sang too. Then I turned my head every which way: not a single spectator was singing. I thought better of it!

Angel: I think you did the right thing! You really shouldn’t have been singing!

And this theater is so well designed, the sets render it magnificently. When the stage changes, the room seems to move. You’re transported to another plane, a new place, without really realizing that it’s a theatrical set. The extraordinary configuration and acoustics of the La Fenice theater allow the director to place singers in various locations, in the auditorium, in a dressing room, allowing us to experience the scene even more from the inside, and to multiply the emotion tenfold.

When we left, we were completely disconnected from the world. The stress was gone, a particular feeling, a persistent strong emotion.
We walked for three quarters of an hour totally at random, before realizing we weren’t taking the right route home. We were near the Rialto Bridge, even though we were staying in the Dorsoduro sestiere, a stone’s throw from the Accademia Bridge.

Angel: Memories, memories… Just remembering this magical moment soothes the stress of my week… But it’s not enough. It’s been several months. I need a reminder! What’s the program at La Fenice on our next visit?

Oriane: For someone who fears the dust of old buildings and isn’t moved to tears during an opera at La Fenice, I still find you quite moved when you talk about it again!

Angel: Well, shall we book an evening then?

Oriane: Dac… We’ll think of tissues this time!