VENICE - A bang at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice: the orchestra of the world-famous opera house went on strike on Friday afternoon. The protest is directed against the methods and logic behind the controversial appointment of Beatrice Venezi as the new music director of the house.
The immediate consequence of the protest was the cancellation of the planned premiere of the opera "Wozzeck", which was supposed to open the lyrical season. This represents a first bitter setback for the new artistic director, Nicola Colabianchi.
Flash mob with 1,000 participants
Instead of the orchestra pit, the musicians gathered with around 1,000 supporters for a flash mob in the heart of the city. On the Campo Sant'Angelo, just a few steps away from the now empty theater, music and words were mixed. Led by the first violins, the musicians first played the Italian national anthem (Inno di Mameli).
This was followed by three minutes of silence in memory of three carabinieri recently killed in a tragedy in Castel D'Azzano (Verona). Between the speeches by trade union representatives, the choir and orchestra finally intoned the "Va' Pensiero" from Verdi's Nabucco as a "sign of hope".
Sharp criticism of the action came from the government. Secretary of State for Culture Gianmarco Mazzi called the reaction of Fenice employees "disproportionate and dangerous". The tone was "aggressive" and "forced". Mazzi rejected the criticism and emphasized that the current Ministry of Culture has been the most committed to the opera houses in the last 20 years, something that even the trade unions have recognized.
