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Opera: Passion, Power and Politics
Together the V&A and the Royal Opera House present a landmark exhibition exploring a vivid story of opera from its origins in late-Renaissance Italy to the present day
Together the V&A and the Royal Opera House present a landmark exhibition exploring a vivid story of opera from its origins in late-Renaissance Italy to the present day
Told through the lens of seven premieres in seven European cities, this immersive exhibition takes you on a journey through nearly 400 years, culminating in the international explosion of opera in the 20th and 21st centuries.
This exhibition is now closed at V&A South Kensington
It’s a remarkable achievement that ultimately has the potential to change the way you think.
The Guardian
The V&A’s spectacular new show has something for opera snobs, opera virgins and all shades between.
The Times
Opera: Passion, Power and Politics is devoted to a richly complex passage in European cultural history. Dramatically lit, boldly theatrical and graphically vivid.
The Telegraph
Throughout, you’re hearing sounds so beautiful that it’s a wrench to leave one historic moment and enter another. You want to stick with what you’re hearing. What drives you on is curiosity to see what the clever organisers have come up with next.
Evening Standard
Sponsored by
Global banking group Societe Generale is delighted to be building on its long-term partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum as lead sponsor of its major exhibition for 2017, Opera: Passion, Power and Politics in collaboration with the Royal Opera House. With the ambition of bringing classical music beyond its traditional audiences, Societe Generale has established itself as a key player in the musical world, celebrating 30 years of support in 2017.
In collaboration with
Exhibition highlights
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The Ballet Scene from Meyerbeer's Opera Robert Le Diable, oil painting, Edgar Degas, 1876, France. Museum no. CAI.19 -
Nadja Michael as Salome, photograph by Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images, 2008, Royal Opera House, London -
George Frideric Handel, terracota, Louis Francois Roubiliac, 18th century, England. Museum no. M.3-1922 -
'Milano' from the series 'Fratelli d’Italia’, Matthias Schaller, 2005 – 2016 -
Draft of part of Cherubino’s Act I aria ‘Non so più cosa son’ (K492, no. 6), autograph score, Wolfgang A. Mozart, 1786. British Library, Zweig MS 57 -
A Box at the Theatre des Italiens, Eva Gonzalès, oil painting, 1874, France -
Music in the Tuileries Garden, oil painting, Edouard Manet, 1861 – 62. National Gallery NG3260 -
The Viola da Gamba Musician, oil painting, Bernardo Strozzi, 1630 – 40, Germany -
View of Venice, print, Frederick de Wit, Netherlands. Museum no. E.1539-1900. -
Barbara Hannigan in Written on Skin, Katie Mitchell (Director), Vicki Mortimer (designer), 2012 -
Ensemble in 'Spaceship' at the dress rehearsal of Einstein on the Beach, Philip Glass in collaboration with Robert Wilson, 2013, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles -
Politbureau ZKVKP (B) (Central Committee of the All Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik), poster, Gustav Klutsis, 1935, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Museum no. E.1267-1989 -
Shostakovich's First Symphony, oil painting, Pavel Filonov, 1935, Russia -
Panel with Queen Anne wax and paper figure, 1705 – 1710, England. Museum no. W.25-1955. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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Features
Inside the Opera: Passion, Power and Politics exhibition
Inside the Opera: Passion, Power and Politics exhibition
Take a look inside the opera exhibition
Opera – the total art form
Opera – the total art form
Artists, designers and performers diverse range of skills combine to create a total art form: opera
Setting the scene
Setting the scene
Quick guides to seven great operas through the ages
18th-century mechanical theatre
18th-century mechanical theatre
An 18th-century mechanical theatre was a technology of tricks and devices that changed scenes almost miraculously
Yasemen Hussein's bespoke wig sculptures
Yasemen Hussein's bespoke wig sculptures
Yasmene Hussein creates intricate and beautiful hairpieces for Opera's historical fashion displays
Opera – an introduction
Opera – an introduction
Discover the evolution of opera from early Baroque extravaganzas through to contemporary productions
Opera engravings, caricatures, and prints
Opera engravings, caricatures, and prints
Engravings, caricatures and prints in our collections document the dramatic 400 year history of opera
#OperaPassion Day
#OperaPassion Day
#OperaPassion day featured live streams and special events from across the UK in celebration of opera
Opera: Passion, Power and Politics
Sound partner
Generously supported by the BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION and THE TAYLOR FAMILY FOUNDATION