Every year since 2004, Italy welcomes the new year with the Concerto di Capodanno del Teatro La Fenice di Venezia – the New Year’s Concert from Venice’s La Fenice Theater.
The traditional concert originated as a way to celebrate the reopening of the theater in 2004, after years of restoration following the 1996 arson that almost destroyed the historic venue. Starting that year, the Italian state TV channel Rai Uno began to show the Venice performance live in the morning, replacing the world famous Vienna New Year’s Concert (which is broadcast on Rai Due, this year at 1:30 pm).
The concert on January 1 is the latest in a series of four identical concerts held December 29 and 30 at 5 pm, and December 31 at 4 pm.
The January 1 concert is broadcast live on Rai Uno at 12:20 pm. This year, British conductor Daniel Harding will lead the Orchestra and Chorus of La Fenice in a performance featuring arias from the operas of Beethoven, Rossini, Donizetti, Puccini, and Verdi, among others.
In addition to La Fenice in Venice, other Italian performances will take place at La Scala in Milan, Parco della Musica in Rome, Teatro San Carlo in Naples and Teatro Massimo in Palermo.
For more information, click here.
