Overview
- Orchestra, chorus and staff staged a concert-protest in Venice’s Campo Sant’Angelo, leading to the cancellation of Friday’s opening-night performance of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck.
- Hundreds gathered as players performed the national anthem and other pieces before union speakers denounced the way Beatrice Venezi was chosen as music director.
- Union representatives stressed the dispute is not personal or ideological, describing it as a defense of artistic standards and workplace respect.
- Critics including Uto Ughi and conductor Fabio Luisi question Venezi’s technical maturity and sparse opera résumé, and a leading critic called her curriculum insufficient for a theater of La Fenice’s stature.
- Reports highlight the lack of prior consultation with the resident ensemble and note public jeers at the mention of Venice’s mayor, while a culture undersecretary condemned the strike as disproportionate.