They just aired, back to back, two documentaries about Italian architectural treasures that had been the victims of great catastrophies. The Basillica di San Francesco in Assissi, the vault of which partially collapsed during an earthquake, and La Fenice Opera House in Venice, gutted by a fire. I was fortunate enough to have visited both of these wonders before their premature destructions.
The first program repeatedly showed a video taken from within the Basilica during the earthquake. When I first saw this film on CNN in 1997, I stood staring at the television and shrieking in horror as Giotto’s sublime frescos disintigrated before my eyes. Restorers will be at work for many years, but will never be able to return this masterpiece to its former glory. The world’s largest jigsaw puzzle, they called it.
The second program showed the fire that destroyed La Fenice, and mentioned that the theater had been the victim of an arsonist. The Venetians are determined to rebuild their beloved opera house, and are intent on making it just as it was, no matter how formidable the challange. The documentary finished, though, with a violinist from La Finice’s orchestra standing alone in the ruins of the stage, playing Albinoni’s Adagio, one of the saddest and sweetest pieces of music ever composed.
It took every ounce of concentration I could muster to keep myself from bursting into tears. And since I’m a six foot three, fuzzy grizzly bear of a guy, it would not have been pretty.
i would say at least ONE of those shows is a trifle outdated.
this should help belay some of your tears.
oh, crappidoodles. somehow i managed to grab the wrong link.
try this one.
I’ve never even heard of the Ovation network, but I wish I’d seen those documentaries. I remember the destruction of the Basillica. That was just horrible. I’m glad La Fenice is restored and hopefully one day the Basillica will be too.
Thanks for the link, lachesis. I feel greatly relieved. I knew that La Fenice was going to be rebuilt, but I figured it would move at the same pace as your typical Italian construction project – ie, glacial. It would appear, though, that the phoenix has arisen from the ashes much sooner than I had anticipated. Bravissimi!
When I was in Venice, I had an opportunity to attend a performance of Faust, starring Samuel Ramey, at La Fenice. And I passed on it. I was devastated when the place burned down only a couple of years later.
The Basillica, though, is a different story. They can repair the roof, and stabilize it to make it less suceptible to the effects of future earthquakes. But the frescos of Giotto and Cimabue will never be fully restored. Thank the gods that only the ceiling was damaged. Giotto’s frescos on the side walls were largely unharmed.
Funny. I’m not normally so passionate about art and architecture. I guess that’s why I was so surprised by my own reaction to watching those two programs.
BTW, photopat, both of these programs were advertized as being available in the Cable in the Classroom program. You might be able to find them that way. The first was called The Lost Frescos, and the second was A Death In Venice.