Roderick is a prominent lecturer, writer and broadcaster. Venice, perched perilously on the edge of the sea in its own lagoon, has attracted visitors to hear its music, view its buildings and absorb its special atmosphere, often viewed by the particular light that suffuses the ancient city. It has almost become the city of its admirers - Felix Mendelssohn, John Ruskin, Lord Byron, the Brownings and many others in the 19th and 20th centuries when John Singer Sargent painted the streets, Peggy Guggenheim gave parties and built a villa on the Grand Canal and Stravinsky and Britten both wrote operas either for or about Venice. This short survey will explore the many artistic visions, portrayals and evocations of the city in paintings, poems, descriptions, songs and other music. It will be illustrated with examples of all these, and hopes to remind those who have been and inspire those who have not about the city nicknamed "La Serenissima"
Venice Through The Eyes of Visitors by Roderick Swanston
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Epsom Playhouse Ashley Avenue, Epsom, KT18 5AL