A Brief History Of La Fenice, Venice’s Opera House

Few structures around the world are as aptly named as the opera house in Venice, Italy. Having opened in 1792 as a replacement for the San Benedetto Theater that burned down in 1774—an all-too-common occurrence prior to theater electrification, where candles and later open gas lamps provided stage illumination—the company that managed its predecessor named the new facility Teatro La Fenice (“The Phoenix Theater”) in honor of the mythological bird that rises anew from its own ashes. The opera house was to suffer destruction twice more during its history, first in 1836 (taking a year to reopen) and again in 1996. While the 19th century fire was accidental in nature, the one 160 years later was quickly determined to be arson. Two electricians were subsequently sentenced to prison for the fire, which they set in order to avoid government fines due to delays in remodeling. The theater was rebuilt over the course of nearly two years, re-creating the facility down to the plasterwork, gilt-edged décor, and brightly colored carpeting.
Opera seasons in Venice were divided carefully into three parts—Fall (October to mid-December), Carnival (December 26 to mid-March), and Spring (April and May). The end of the 1790s through about 1825 saw a number of world premieres at La Fenice. Because tastes have changed considerably in the opera world over the ensuing decades, many of these works—and, in some cases, the entire output of the composers in question—have fallen into obscurity despite the fact that they were major hits in their day. This list includes "Sapho" by Giovanni Simone Mayr (known primarily as Donizetti’s mentor), "Orazi e Curiazi" by Saverio Mercadante, and "Il crociato in Egitto" by Giacomo Meyerbeer. The height of the bel canto era brought premieres by Gioacchino Rossini ("Tancredi" and "Semiramide"), Vincenzo Bellini ("I Capuleti e I Montecchi" and "Beatrice di Tenda"), and early pieces by Gaetano Donizetti ("Belisario" and "Maria di Rudenz").

The opera house in Venice boasted some of the brightest voices in all of opera during this time. Singers included Isabella Colbran (later the wife of Rossini), Domenico Donzelli, Giorgio Ronconi, and Maria Malibran. Many of the works of Giuseppe Verdi that enjoyed opening seasons elsewhere nonetheless attracted huge crowds at La Fenice. Some of the more stirring successes included debuts of "Nabucco," "Attila," "La traviata," and "Rigoletto." Sadly, the success the opera house enjoyed during the first half of the 19th century failed to be duplicated in the latter half. After the Austrians abandoned Venice to the Kingdom of Italy, the city fell well behind more vibrant art centers such as Milan, Turin and Rome. This was as much due to the provincialism of its residents as it was the impoverishment of the region. As an illustration of its second-class status, La Fenice hosted the premiere of Leoncavallo’s "La bohème," while the far more popular and lasting Puccini version enjoyed its premiere in Turin.

During the latter years of the 20th century, La Fenice made a name for itself by reviving operas that had generally fallen by the wayside. By attracting such megastars as Montserrat Caballe, Mirella Freni, Katia Ricciarelli (a native Venetian) and Marilyn Horne, the opera house brought back a number of works that had their premieres here some 100 years earlier. These included Donizetti's "Roberto Devereux" and the aforementioned "Maria di Rudenz," among others. Political corruption, financial hardship, and labor difficulties all contributed to the delay of reopening La Fenice after the arson attack of 1996. The house reopened on December 14, 2003, with a concert that featured music by Beethoven, Wagner and Stravinsky. The first opera produced in the rebuilt facility was Verdi’s "La traviata" in November 2004.