Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
San Marco and went on to launch modern opera. Today, opera reverberates inside La
Fenice and across town in churches, concert halls and
palazzi
- but until 1637 you would
have been able to hear opera only by invitation. Opera and most chamber music were the
preserve of the nobility, performed in private salons.
Then Venice threw open the doors of the first public opera houses. Between 1637 and
1700, some 358 operas were staged in 16 theatres to meet the musical demands of a popu-
lation of 140,000. Monteverdi wrote two stand-out operas,
Il Ritorno di Ulisse al suo
Paese
(The Return of Ulysses) and
L'Incoronazione di Poppea
(The Coronation of Pop-
pea), with an astonishing range of plot and subplot, strong characterisation and powerful
music. Critical response couldn't have been better: he was buried with honours in I Frari.
A singer at the Basilica di San Marco under Monteverdi, Pier Francesco Cavalli
(1602-76) became the outstanding 17th-century Italian opera composer, with 42 operas.
With his frequent collaborator Carlo Goldoni and Baldassare Galuppi (1706-84), he ad-
ded musical hooks to
opera buffa
(comic opera) favourites like
Il Filosofo di Campagna
(The Country Philosopher).
Classical
Get ready to baroque-and-roll: Venetian classical musicians are leading a revival of 'early
music' from medieval through to Renaissance and baroque periods, with historically ac-
curate arrangements played
con brio
(with verve) on period instruments. Venetian baroque
was the rebel music of its day, openly defying edicts from Rome deciding which instru-
ments could accompany sermons and what kinds of rhythms and melodies were suitable
for moral uplift. Venetians kept right on playing stringed instruments in churches, singing
along to bawdy
opera buffa
and writing compositions that were both soulful and sensual.
Modern misconceptions about baroque being a nice soundtrack to accompany wedding
ceremonies are smashed by baroque 'early music' ensembles. Among Vivaldi's repertoire
of some 500 concertos is his ever-popular
Four Seasons
, instantly recognisable from
hotel lobbies and ringtones - but you haven't heard summer-lightning strike and spring
flood the room until you've heard it played
con brio
by Interpreti Veneziani (
Click here
).
The pleasure palace of Palazetto Bru Zane is now restored to its original function: con-
certs to flirt at and swoon over, with winking approval from Sebastiano Ricci's frolicking,
frescoed angels. Venetian venues make all the difference: any classical performance in the
grand salon of Palazzo Querini Stampalia or Tiepolo-frescoed Ca' Rezzonico will trans-
port you to the 18th century in one movement, and catapult you into the 21st with the
next. Seek out programs featuring Venetian baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni
