Vivaldi, the baroque masters of St. Mark's, gondola serenades and the opera of La Fenice: the soundtrack of the Serenissima, ready to play.
In a nutshell: Vivaldi, the baroque masters of St. Mark's and the opera of La Fenice - the city's soundtrack, ready to play. Book a night at La Fenice, hear the acoustics behind the basilica, and let the gondola supply the serenade.
Venice gave the world some of its greatest music. Antonio Vivaldi - the red-haired priest of the Pietà - wrote The Four Seasons here for the orphanage girls' orchestra. Monteverdi, Gabrieli and the brass choirs of St. Mark's invented the Venetian baroque. And La Fenice premiered Verdi's Rigoletto and La Traviata. This is the music of Venice, ready to play before, during and after your trip.
The famous opening movement (Spring) - the most recognisable music ever written in Venice.
Period instruments, historically informed performance - the closest you can get to hearing it as Vivaldi's players did.
The complete concerto cycle in a fine modern performance.
The antiphonal brass music of Gabrieli, written to be played from the two galleries of the Basilica.
Monteverdi and his contemporaries - the sound of the Republic at its height.
Sacred baroque music with women's choirs - the tradition of the ospedali where Vivaldi taught.
Tomaso Albinoni, another Venetian master - his Adagio is among the most moving pieces of the baroque.
The Teatro La Fenice - covered in our La Fenice chapter - is where Verdi's Rigoletto and La Traviata had their premieres. If you can't attend a performance in person, these videos and recordings bring the theatre's sound into your home.
Filmed inside the theatre: the red-and-gold auditorium in action.
Nothing replaces hearing music in the city that made it. In the evening, the orchestras of the cafés on Piazza San Marco play everything from Vivaldi to film themes - expensive to sit, wonderful to walk past. For a real concert, check the programme of La Fenice, the Scuola Grande di San Teodoro and the churches of San Vidal and Santo Stefano, which host the city's chamber concerts. We can book you into the best ones.