Rhapsody in the maze

From black-tie opera under frescoes to quartets on the cobblestones, Rob McFarland explores a living Venetian legacy.

VENICE'S premier concert venue is the Teatro La Fenice, a spectacular theatre whose interior is a decadent ensemble of frescoed ceilings, plush red velvet and gilded artwork. Over its tumultuous 218-year history, it's been the site of many famous operatic premieres as well as twice being burnt to the ground and completely rebuilt.

Unfortunately, even if you're lucky enough to be in the city when something is playing here, tickets can be expensive and devilishly difficult to come by. It's still worth taking a tour of the theatre but if you'd like to give your visit a musical accompaniment, you'll need to look elsewhere. Thankfully, there are a good range of options. Tucked away among the city's maze-like network of alleyways, bridges and canals are some delightful venues in which orchestras and opera singers perform on a regular basis. Here are some of the best:

Palatial performances

Imagine being invited to a concert in an opulent 15th-century palace on the Grand Canal by a wealthy Venetian duke. This is how you'll feel when you ascend the candlelit stairs of the Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto to enjoy an evening of opera and classical music courtesy of Musica a Palazzo. At the end of a quiet canal-side alleyway about a 10-minute walk from St Mark's Square, this palace is the atmospheric setting for operas such as Verdi's La Traviata and Rossini's The Barber of Seville, as well as a compilation of famous arias titled Love Duets.

The first act is held in the palace's grand reception room, which has an impressive frescoed ceiling by Venetian painter Tiepolo and walls decorated with ornate stucco plasterwork. The audience of about 30 people sits in semicircular rows around the four-piece ensemble, who are immaculately dressed in black tie and evening gowns. The program varies slightly for each performance but for the Love Duets concert you can expect a selection of arias from La Traviata, La Boheme and Cavalleria Rusticana, among others, interspersed with classical and chamber music.

Hearing professional opera singers at close quarters is a magical experience and the intimate space encourages an interactive performance. There are dramatic entrances through side doors; passionate arguments and love scenes; and graceful exits as the performers waltz, still singing, out into the hallway.

For the second act, we follow the singers into the bed chamber next door for another selection of arias that culminates in a stirring rendition of Puccini's O Soave Fanciulla from La Boheme.