MARSILIO La Fenice 1792-1996: Theatre, Music and History

Construction work on La Fenice began in 1791 and the opera house was opened 18 months later in 1792. The theatre has suffered two fires in its more than 200 year history; the first in 1836 (it was rebuilt and reopened in December of the same year), the second in 1996. La Fenice 1792-1996 recounts the history of the institution, founded as a company closely and continuously related to the society, politics, culture and economy of Venice. The theatre, with its two centuries of history, is one of the most significant monuments around which a large part of Venetian city life has revolved. Considered the main theatre in Venice since its foundation, it has retained a dominant and essential role both in the modern architectural development of Venice and in the history of the tastes and fashions that marked the entire nineteenth century and the early twentieth. It therefore represents not only musical history, but a chapter in the history of Venice and of Europe. The attractively styled and superbly illustrated book documents many moments in the history of the opera house that, despite the numerous publications on the subject, had remained obscure. They are the result of new, accurate and detailed archive research. The book also contains several double-page charts on a coloured background in which critics, musicologists, scholars and cultural figures examine episodes, personalities and specific and circumstantial anecdotes, helping to better define the role of La Fenice among the theatres of the world.