Yesterday evening, at the Embassy, Ambassador Armando Varricchio hosted a concert of the Theatre ‘La Fenice’; the event was organised to present the 2022/23 opera season in Germany.
The stage featured soprano Michela Antenucci, mezzo-soprano Giuseppina Bridelli and bass Adolfo Corrado, accompanied by Michele Bolla on the piano. The evening repertoire – applauded by a distinguished parterre of representatives from the German cultural, political and economic sphere and from the press – included several arias from operas associated with the city of Venice, written by Rossini, Händel, Mozart, Vivaldi and Monteverdi and selected by the Superintendent and Artistic Director of ‘Fondazione Teatro La Fenice’, Fortunato Ortombina. The Mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, spoke too, via a video message shown during the event.
In his welcome speech, Ambassador Varricchio stressed that “events such as tonight’s concert bring to Germany the most vibrant image of the city of Venice and of Italy on the whole, combining the beauty of places with the talent of great artists. This spontaneous connection that fosters creativity is perhaps the distinctive and most appreciated characteristic of our country, which Germans recognise and seek out with curiosity, intelligence and affection.”
Superintendent Ortombina then presented the programmes of the 2022/2023 Opera and Ballet Season and the Symphonic Season, both of which will be inaugurated by Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, featuring 16 opera titles and 18 symphonic-concert events, as well as the traditional and much-appreciated New Year’s Concert. The many initiatives intended for youths and schools, for people aged under 35 and families were mentioned too, as well as the projects dedicated by the Venetian theatre to emerging talents and debuting youngsters, for example with the prestigious “Premio Venezia” – a major national piano competition, which has reached its 38th edition. Finally, mention was also made of the acquisition of the so-called “prisma verde” (green prism), the building located on the Venetian mainland – known as the City of Music – to become a Theatre outlet on the mainland, hosting workshops and other projects too.
“Venice’s Theatre ‘La Fenice’ and the City of Venice have always been supported by their audiences,” Ortombina commented, “despite the critical issues faced in recent years, from the November 2019 flood to the pandemic, with theatres having to shut down”. In these situations, the closeness of friends, supporters and the media, even from Germany, was strongly felt – the Superintendent continued – and this has given due value, now that we are going back to a post-pandemic normality, to the return to theatres of many spectators from Berlin and from all of Germany.
