Venice is alive with the sound of music

Visitors can discover music in extraordinary venues around the city. “St Mary of the Friars, more commonly known as ‘I Frari’, is one of Venice’s greatest churches,”  observes Classic FM. “It’s the perfect setting for superb performances of sacred music, organ recitals and free afternoon concerts.” And Scuola Grande di San Rocco, an historic charitable institution, still running today, hosts world-class performances in its Tintoretto-lined interior.    

Then there’s Vivaldi. “Venice is awash with bewigged musical ensembles sawing away at Vivaldi,” reports Anne Hanley in The Telegraph. Going strong since 1987, the Interpreti Veneziani are “a major cut above most of the competition … serious musicians play mainly baroque works -- including regular renditions of The Four Seasons – with not a period costume in sight, though performers are not above exchanging boisterous high fives after virtuoso passages.” Concerts take place most nights (though the frequency falls to three or four a week between November and Carnevale) in the deconsecrated church of San Vidal, “which has an exquisite painting of St Vitale on Horseback by Vittore Carpaccio over the main altar.”      

Aside from opera and baroque chamber music, Venice supplies a soundtrack of jazz and contemporary music at its small jazz club and the blockbuster Biennale of Music, which showcases emerging artists, international stars and cutting-edge musical performances from Italian electronic rock to percussion recitals, mimed musical installations.