Puccini in Venice
One of the best opera theatres in the world, La Fenice in Venice, has included the legendary opera ´La Bohème´ by Puccini in its spring programme. Its premiere will be on May 11th and it will be on stage until the 29th of the same month. If you´re travelling to Venice in May, you can´t miss it.
La Bohème was represented for the first time in 1896 at Teatro Regio in Turin, and it quickly became popular around Europe. During the 20th century it carried on enjoying plenty of international popularity and it was still essential in opera repertoires. It has been the subject of various musical adaptations, derived operas, stories and films. It´s an opera of four acts based on the novel Scenes de la vie bohème by Henry Murger, a story about the life of four young bohemians from the Latin Quarter in Paris in the 1840s. Almost all the booklet, created by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, is original and it tells the love story of Mimi, a seamstress, and a poet called Rodolfo in 1830s Paris. Both fall in love at first sight and begin a relationship, but Rodolfo leaves her for flirting with other men. Later on, Rodolfo discovers that Mimi is gravely ill. The representation at La Fenice will be directed by Daniele Callegari and the character of Rodolfo will be played by the Italian tenor Gianluca Terranova and the soprano Kristin Lewis will play Mimi.
La Fenice is a neoclassic theatre that opened its doors for the first time in 1792. It was the last of the eight theatres built in Venice during the second half of the 18th century and it soon become a world reference, premiering the most important operas in Italy, such as La Traviata, Attila, Rigoletto or Simon Boccanegra to name but a few. Rossini, Verdi and Bellini were regular collaborators of the theatre. In its long history, it´s experienced closures, renovations and fires, the latest one in 1996, which made it close until late 2003. For the latest inauguration, they represented Wagner, Beethoven and Stravinsky. The reconstruction was made by the architect Aldo Rossi, who maintained the original structure of the 19th century.
It´s a building that´s definitely worth visiting, with a magnificent decoration and an impressive historical archive. You can go on guided tours inside it too. For information on these tours and for early bird tickets for La Bohème, you can visit the official theatre website (in Italian and English) here: http://www.teatrolafenice.it/dettaglio_spettacolo.php?IDSpettacolo=610
Address: San Marco 4387, 30124, Venice. Metro Line 1, Santa Maria del Giglio.
Timetables: Tours go from 9.30am until 6pm every day. La Bohème will have sessions at 3.30pm and 7pm.
Prices: Tours with audioguide cost 8€ and concessions 5.50€. The guided tour includes a typical Venetian aperitif and it costs 39€ plus VAT. Tickets for La Bohème start at 80€.
Elena Alvarez
For a perfect stay on the island, choose one of our apartments in Venice and get ready to enjoy all the glamour of a day at the opera.
