Some of you may remember a few weeks ago comments veered off into a discussion  of relative sizes of 19th century theaters vs. modern opera houses and, specifically, the issue of a stage apron, a playing area that extended past the proscenium into the auditorium proper, therefore allowing singers to take advantage of warmer acoustics and greater proximity to the audience.

Well, she’s finally remembered where she saw an example of these practices.

It’s the opening scene of Luchino Visconti’s masterpiece Senso, which is set (as the opening titles indicate) in the Teatro La Fenice in 1866.