La Fenice facts for kids
 |
|
| Address | Venice Italy |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°26′01″N 12°20′02″E / 45.4337°N 12.3339°E |
| Owner | City of Venice |
| Capacity | 1126 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1792 |
| Reopened |
|
| Architect |
|
_-_Facade.jpg)
The Teatro La Fenice (say: la fe-NEE-che) is a famous opera house in Venice, Italy. Its name means "The Phoenix". It is one of the most well-known and important theatres in the history of Italian theatre and opera.
In the 1800s, many famous operas had their first performances here. Works by great composers like Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi were first heard at La Fenice.
The theatre's name, "The Phoenix," is very fitting. A phoenix is a mythical bird that rises from ashes after being destroyed by fire. La Fenice has had to "rise from the ashes" three times! The first theatre burned down in 1774, and the new one, La Fenice, opened in 1792. Then, fires destroyed it again in 1836 and 1996. Each time, it was rebuilt and reopened, showing its amazing ability to come back to life.
Contents
History of La Fenice
At the end of the 1700s, Venice had many theatres. The biggest one was the Teatro San Benedetto. But in 1787, the group that managed it lost control of the theatre. They decided to build a new, even grander opera house.
They wanted this new theatre to show their ability to "rise again" after their troubles. So, they named it La Fenice, after the mythical phoenix bird. This bird is known for being reborn from its own ashes.
Building the First Theatre
In 1790, land was bought for the new theatre. A competition was held to find the best design. The design by architect Gianantonio Selva was chosen. Building began in 1791 and was finished very quickly, in just 18 months!
La Fenice opened in April 1792. It quickly became known as one of the best opera houses in Italy and Europe. People admired its beautiful building and the high quality of its performances.
The First Fire (1836)
Sadly, the theatre's name seemed to bring bad luck. On December 13, 1836, a fire badly damaged the opera house. It took three days and nights to put out the flames. Only the entrance hall and some other rooms were saved.
The theatre's owners decided to rebuild it right away. Architects Giambattista Meduna and his brother Tommaso led the work. They rebuilt the theatre in record time!
On December 26, 1837, the new opera house opened its doors to the public. It looked new and stylish for its time. Later, in 1854, the theatre was redecorated again, and this look stayed until 1996.
Changes in Ownership
For a long time, the theatre was owned by a group of private box-holders. But in 1935, they gave their share of the opera house to the City of Venice. This meant La Fenice became publicly owned. More major repairs and changes were made in 1937-1938.
The Second Fire (1996)
On January 29, 1996, another fire completely destroyed La Fenice. This time, the fire was set on purpose. Only the outer walls remained.
Once again, La Fenice had to rise from its ashes. The theatre was rebuilt exactly as it was before, following plans by architect Aldo Rossi. It reopened on December 14, 2003. To celebrate this, the tradition of the Venice New Year's Concert began.
A Closer Look at the First Theatre
In 1774, the Teatro San Benedetto, Venice's main opera house, burned down. Wealthy opera lovers wanted a spectacular new theatre. They held a competition for architects. Gianantonio Selva won with his design for a neoclassical building. It had a traditional horseshoe shape with 170 boxes on different levels.
Construction started in June 1790 and was finished by May 1792. The theatre was named "La Fenice" to show that the opera company had survived the fire and losing its old home. La Fenice officially opened on May 16, 1792, with an opera called I giuochi d'Agrigento.
In the early 1800s, La Fenice became famous across Europe. Many important operas had their first performances there. Rossini's Tancredi (1813) and Semiramide (1823) were first performed here. Two of Bellini's operas, I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830) and Beatrice di Tenda (1833), also premiered at La Fenice. Donizetti brought his opera Belisario in 1836.
The Second Theatre's Era
After the fire in December 1836, the theatre was quickly rebuilt. The Meduna brothers, Tommaso and Giovanni Battista, designed the new interior. It was decorated in a luxurious style with gold and stucco. La Fenice reopened on December 26, 1837.
The famous composer Giuseppe Verdi had a strong connection with La Fenice. His opera Ernani premiered there in 1844. Over the next 13 years, other Verdi operas like Attila, Rigoletto, La traviata, and Simon Boccanegra also had their first performances at La Fenice.
During World War I, La Fenice was closed. But it reopened and became a very active place, attracting many great singers and conductors. In 1930, the Venice Biennale started a festival for modern music there. This brought composers like Stravinsky and Britten to write for La Fenice.
On January 29, 1996, La Fenice was completely destroyed by fire again. The fire was set on purpose. In 2001, two electricians were found responsible for starting the fire. They had set the building on fire because their company was facing big fines for delays in repair work.
The Present Theatre
After some delays, rebuilding began in 2001. In just 650 days, a team of 200 skilled workers, including plasterers, artists, and woodworkers, recreated the theatre. It cost about €90 million.
The theatre was rebuilt in the 19th-century style, based on designs by architect Aldo Rossi. He even used old photos from a movie filmed in the theatre to get the details right! The seating capacity was increased from 840 to 1000.
La Fenice reopened on December 14, 2003, with a concert featuring music by Beethoven, Wagner, and Stravinsky. The first full opera performance in the rebuilt theatre was La traviata in November 2004.
Some people loved the rebuilt theatre, saying the sound was good. Others thought the colors were too bright and that the city should have built a completely new, modern theatre instead.
New Rooms in the Theatre
The motto for rebuilding La Fenice was "as it was, where it was." This meant making the historic and artistic parts of the building look exactly like they did before the fire.
However, parts of the building that were not historically important were redesigned. This led to the creation of three new rooms within the theatre.
La Fenice in Stories
Donna Leon's first novel, Death at La Fenice (1992), is a detective story. It's about a famous orchestra conductor who dies during an opera performance at La Fenice. The book describes the opera house in great detail, showing how it looked before the 1996 fire.
See also
In Spanish: La Fenice para niños
- Opera houses and theatres of Venice
