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28 December 2018
A regal and majestic treasure trove in the heart of Italian culture.
The illustrious Teatro La Fenice (The Phoenix) in Venice has been a meeting place for hundreds of music lovers and avant-gardists, and the site of many famous operatic premieres by famous music composers such as Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini and Giuseppe Verdi.
Its history and name are intertwined: just like the phoenix rising from its ashes, the theatre was inaugurated for the first time in 1792, it was rebuilt in 1837 and then, after a fire in the early ‘90s, was rebuilt again in 2003.
Entering the theatre hall is like returning to the golden era with stucco work in the tradition of 19th century Baroque. Golden curls, high ceilings, sumptuous decor, and the royal box positioned in the middle of the gallery surrounded by other boxes frame the magnificent and unmistakable blue ceiling that holds the splendid Murano glass chandelier.
The most anticipated annual event is the Grand New Year’s concert. The culmination of celebrations commemorating the rebuilding of the theatre, this concert has now become an exclusive and traditional event.
The first concert was conceived by Anna Elena Averardi who wanted to recapture the spirit of the New Year’s Concert in Vienna, but unlike this one, the 1 January concert in Venice, televised worldwide on Rai1, is the last in a series of five identical concerts held between 28 and 31 December.
Some trivia on past editions: the 2011 concert was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy (Il Canto degli Italiani was performed for the occasion), while the 2013 opera concert was dedicated entirely to the music of Giuseppe Verdi to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.
The 2019 New Year’s concert will be conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. The multiple-award winning Korean maestro will lead the Orchestra and Choir of the Teatro. As is now tradition, the musical program at La Fenice will consist of two parts. The first part of the concert will be purely for the orchestra, with the performance of the Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 by Beethoven, and the second part will be dedicated to melodrama, with a series of arias, duets and choral performances from the most beloved operas. The concert will end with what has now become a tradition at the Fenice New Year’s concerts: the “Va’ Pensiero” from Nabucco and the toast “Libiam ne’ lieti calici” from Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata.
We at Salvadori have always been great supporters of culture, especially when it is historically present in our city, and have been supporting the Teatro La Fenice for several years.
Discover all the love we have for our beloved Venice, which inspires us every day to create jewellery that symbolises and celebrates true and endless passion.
