La Fenice’s newly appointed musical director Beatrice Venezi has said “the game isn’t over until the referee blows the whistle”, as protests continue at Venice’s historic opera house over her appointment.
Venezi, 35, quoted the famous maxim of late Serbian football coach Vujadin Boškov while responding to criticism from the orchestra and staff, who have questioned her nomination and alleged political links to Premier Giorgia Meloni.
Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference in Pisa on Tuesday, where she is preparing to conduct Bizet’s Carmen, Venezi said she had paid little attention to the controversy.
“I was busy with work on the other side of the world and haven’t followed the affair closely,” she said. “I work almost exclusively abroad and I will speak about this matter in due course. For now, I’ll just say the game is only over when the referee blows the whistle.”
Responding to calls from the Fenice orchestra for her to step back, she added: “What misunderstandings? I haven’t even set foot in Venice yet.”
Venezi spends most of her time abroad
Venezi will conduct Carmen at the Verdi Theatre in Pisa on January 23 and 25, leading the Florentine Chamber Orchestra. She described the performances as a brief return to Italy before resuming her international schedule.
“This is a pleasant interlude for me, along with two weeks in Trieste with The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny,” she said. “Then I’ll go back abroad, first to Montevideo for Carmen and then to the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires for the season opening with Cavalleria and Pagliacci.”
She said she would address the Fenice dispute at a later stage. “There are many elements that have not yet entered the public narrative. This situation will be analysed, but in due time,” she said.
The appointment has sparked protests since it was announced in September. Critics argue Venezi lacks sufficient experience, having never led a major opera house orchestra before. They also point to her close ties with the government. She was named musical adviser to Meloni shortly after the prime minister took office and has received public praise and an award from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party.
Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro, who heads the foundation that runs La Fenice, has urged the orchestra to give her a chance.
“I think it would be appropriate to let her prove herself,” Brugnaro said ahead of the New Year concert. “I suggested a neutral venue so they can get to know each other and see if they can work together.”
During the New Year’s concert, conducted by Michele Mariotti, orchestra and chorus members avoided an open boycott but wore a golden pin shaped like a treble clef as a sign of dissent. Mariotti also wore the pin.
Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has defended Venezi, saying she will not make Venetians miss her predecessors. Superintendent Nicola Colabianchi also rejected the criticism.
“Her resume is excellent,” Colabianchi said. “She has already conducted 50 or 60 operas, and she is only 35 years old.”
The opposition Five Star Movement dismissed Venezi’s football metaphor. “We are sorry for her, but the referee has already blown the whistle,” the party said. “The game is over and both sides are back in the changing rooms.”
