This Week in Classical Music: April 6, 2026. Venice, La Fenice, Kissin. What could be better than a recital by one of the greatest pianists, played in a gorgeous old theater in one of the most beautiful cities in the world?Or, rather, what could go wrong? As it turns out, some things can.First, the venue.La Fenice is a small but exceptionally beautiful theater (if not the neo-classical façade, then definitely the interior).It was built in 1792 and named La Fenice, or The Phoenix, after the immortal bird of Greek legend that rises to new life from the ashes: the company that owned the theater previously lost three buildings to fire.Unfortunately, the name proved prophetic, as La Fenice burned to the ground on two occasions, in 1836 and, recently, in 1996.Both times it was restored, after the first time within just one year, while in modern times, it took the bureaucratic state seven times longer.Still, the job was done well, and La Fenice gleams in its 19th-century beauty.It’s a relatively small theater, with a tiny main floor, which becomes even smaller when several front rows are removed for the concert stage.On the other hand, it’s tall, with five circles of boxes, all identical except for the Royal Box.For a piano recital, this creates an acoustic problem, as there are no panels above the stage to reflect sound into the hall.It’s especially evident in the boxes, which, by the way, are bare: boxes, quite literally. Even in the ones close to the stage, the sound felt distant.Kissin, who started his program with Beethoven’s early Piano Sonata no. 7, exacerbated the problem by minimally using the pedal.We understand his intent, and in a different hall, it might have worked, but in La Fenice, without the pedal, the sound was dry and failed to project.We even thought it might have been a problem with the instrument: Kissin was playing a Steinway with the Zanta logo under the maker’s name.Zanta, an Italian company, makes its own pianos, but it seems in this case it was a standard Steinway D-274.
We thought that Beethoven's sonata, with its exaggerated accents and very slow 2nd and 3rd movements, was not very successful.The five mazurkas by Chopin that followed fared better, even though they were also rather austere.Schumann’s Kreisleriana, which started the second half, was the best.Rambling and longish, it’s not an easy piece to pull together, but Kissin managed it very well.The concluding Hungarian Rhapsody no 12, even if a rather unusual choice for such a cerebral concert, was brilliant, demonstrating Kissin’s amazing technical abilities.
But we would be the first to admit that all these comments are somewhat nitpicking.Kissin is a tremendous musician and a phenomenal pianist, whether one agrees with his interpretations or not.La Fenice is beautiful, and Venice is magical.You leave the theater and step into one of the most beautiful places, and a glass of good Italian wine helps bring a great evening to an end.
Venice, La Fenice, Kissin, 2026
This Week in Classical Music: April 6, 2026. Venice, La Fenice, Kissin. What could be better than a recital by one of the greatest pianists, played in a gorgeous old theater in one of the most
beautiful cities in the world? Or, rather, what could go wrong? As it turns out, some things can. First, the venue. La Fenice is a small but exceptionally beautiful theater (if not the neo-classical façade, then definitely the interior). It was built in 1792 and named La Fenice, or The Phoenix, after the immortal bird of Greek legend that rises to new life from the ashes: the company that owned the theater previously lost three buildings to fire. Unfortunately, the name proved prophetic, as La Fenice burned to the ground on two occasions, in 1836 and, recently, in 1996. Both times it was restored, after the first time within just one year, while in modern times, it took the bureaucratic state seven times longer. Still, the job was done well, and La Fenice gleams in its 19th-century beauty. It’s a relatively small theater, with a tiny main floor, which becomes even smaller when several front rows are removed for the concert stage. On the other hand, it’s tall, with five circles of boxes, all identical except for the Royal Box. For a piano recital, this creates an acoustic problem, as there are no panels above the stage to reflect sound into the hall. It’s especially evident in the boxes, which, by the way, are bare: boxes, quite literally. Even in the ones close to the stage, the sound felt distant. Kissin, who started his program with Beethoven’s early Piano Sonata no. 7, exacerbated the problem by minimally using the pedal. We understand his intent, and in a different hall, it might have worked, but in La Fenice, without the pedal, the sound was dry and failed to project. We even thought it might have been a problem with the instrument: Kissin was playing a Steinway with the Zanta logo under the maker’s name. Zanta, an Italian company, makes its own pianos, but it seems in this case it was a standard Steinway D-274.
We thought that Beethoven's sonata, with its exaggerated accents and very slow 2nd and 3rd movements, was not very successful. The five mazurkas by Chopin that followed fared better, even though they were also rather austere. Schumann’s Kreisleriana, which started the second half, was the best. Rambling and longish, it’s not an easy piece to pull together, but Kissin managed it very well. The concluding Hungarian Rhapsody no 12, even if a rather unusual choice for such a cerebral concert, was brilliant, demonstrating Kissin’s amazing technical abilities.
But we would be the first to admit that all these comments are somewhat nitpicking. Kissin is a tremendous musician and a phenomenal pianist, whether one agrees with his interpretations or not. La Fenice is beautiful, and Venice is magical. You leave the theater and step into one of the most beautiful places, and a glass of good Italian wine helps bring a great evening to an end.