Venice, City of Music
Along with its canals and ancient palaces, the romantic and fascinating lagoon city has long been renowned throughout the world for its musical tradition. Venice is much more than just the birthplace of Vivaldi. It boasts the famous Teatro La Fenice, which is a veritable treasure trove of red velvet, gilded furniture and opulent chandeliers. From the nineteenth century onwards – even before Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti and the others – Teatro La Fenice was the scene of numerous operas, and it remains a point of reference for world opera today, as well as offering symphonic concerts, dance performances and chamber music. Since summer is a time for excursions, and Venice may well be on your wish list, keep in mind that you will not only be visiting a city of gondolas and sinfully expensive coffee, but you will be in a musical centre that has marked the world.
Venice has always existed in the style of a great musical culture, especially in the period from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Many famous travellers and writers, such as Rousseau, Goethe and Wagner, told of the numerous concerts and incredible musical vibrancy of the city, especially during the carnival, which in those days lasted a full six months. During these flourishing months, the city was full of concerts and dances, so the musical production was extraordinary, not only in the theatres, but also in the squares, the churches, the four great schools and, of course, in the magnificent palaces of the wealthy families. The music continued after the carnival as well, thanks to the Easter and Christmas seasons, as well as events such as weddings, baptisms and private parties. In Venice, an average of three musical events took place every day: in short, the city resounded in one endless concert.
This atmosphere attracted many Venetian and foreign musicians, who set the wheels of intense artistic creation in motion in a way that was the envy of other cities around the world. Their extraordinary creativity is affirmed by the invention of some priceless musical instruments, such as the violin, which emerged around the year 1500. Among the instruments created were two rather unusual examples that are now found only in museums, but once were common in Medieval and Renaissance music: the “psalterium”, which is a stringed instrument similar to the modern harpsichord, and a keyboard instrument with several strings called the “symphonia”, which became popular at Parisian courts. Music publishing also flourished, and scores and arrangements flowed in and out of Venice. This activity experienced a crisis in the eighteenth century, however, when modern technology began to be used in Northern Europe.
In their travel diaries, artists described Venice as “the city of music”. “If I had to find a word to replace ‘music’, I would simple choose Venice,” wrote Nietzsche, who first stayed in the city in 1880, residing in a large elegant apartment in the Palazzo Berlendis (which, by the way, is currently for sale at a price of 2.5 million euros). During the Renaissance and beyond, no other city had as many opera houses. The scenography and the amazing Venetian theatrical machinery were admired and imitated everywhere, especially their style and technique. Venetian craftsmanship was also held in high regard: musical instruments made in Venice have always been valued and sought after by both musicians and collectors from all over the world.
Audiences will have an opportunity to enjoy the abundance of Venetian music at the Slovenian Philharmonic during the 9th Philharmonic Festival of Baroque Music, which will take place 8–22 January 2024. Among other things, the young Avšič sisters – violinist Patricija and cellist Klara – will perform Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
