The New Year’s Concert of La Fenice is fast becoming not only an event of Italian society life but an important alternative to the famous one that has been held for years in Vienna. The quality of the performance, this year, is guaranteed by the illustrious presence, on the podium, of Georges Prêtre, who celebrated his 80th birthday. Under his baton, the orchestra and choir of the reborn Teatro La Fenice perform some of the finest masterpieces of Italian music. The presentation is enhanced by Micha Van Hoecke’s ballets, filmed in some of the more picturesque corners of the lagoon-city.