Description of the attraction
Teatro Malibran, formerly known as Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, is one of the oldest and most beautiful theaters in Venice, renowned for its rich decorations. It was designed by the architect Thomas Bezzi especially for the Grimani family and was inaugurated in 1678 during the carnival. The first performance on the stage of the theater was “Vespasian” by Carlo Pallavicino. Soon, the theater, which was the largest in Venice, became also the most luxurious and extravagant - famous artists of that time, for example, Margarita Durastanti, the prima donna of the early 18th century, performed on its stage. Composers such as Carlo Francesco Pollarolo, Alessandro Scarlatti and Georg Friedrich Handel also worked here.
The 1730s saw a period of gradual but inevitable decline in the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, although it remained the leading Venetian theater until the mid-18th century. In 1737, Carlo Goldoni was appointed its leader, on whose initiative plays were first staged on the stage (many of them were written by Goldoni himself). Later, the Grimani family opened another small theater - San Benedetto. This event ended the dominance of San Giovanni and precipitated its decline. However, after the occupation of Venice by French troops, the theater was one of the few that were not closed. In 1819 it was sold to Gallo, who carried out restoration work here in 1834. A couple of years later, it was renamed Teatro Malibran in honor of the famous Spanish mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran. And when the Habsburgs seized power in Venice again, all city theaters were closed in protest, except for Malibran.
Then troubled times came in the history of the theater - it changed owners and closed several times for various reasons and reopened. Since 1919, operettas and operas have been staged on its stage, and even films have been shown. In 1992, the building was acquired by the Municipality of Venice and meticulously renovated and expanded. In 2001, the Malibran Theater returned to a number of operating theaters in the city - Italian President Carlo Acello Ciampi was even present at the gala event.
