Opera is known for its sets and costumes as well as, of course, music and acting, but what happens when operatic productions are revived years after a performance?
Opera brings together lots of different elements to create worlds on stage so it is not surprising that sets and costumes can be elaborate. Moby Dick? No problem! Ancient Egypt? How about these? Successful runs of a show can be revived years after the original performances so costumes and sets have to be stored away… and then refurbished when it is their time to shine again.
This article from New York’s Metropolitan Opera a few years ago is about bringing back a three-decade-old production of Rossini’s Semiramide. It is a short story but, reading between the lines, this must have been a huge undertaking.
Read more:
Operavore article about reviving productions
See more:
Victoria and Albert Museum opera costumes
Watch more:
Leave a Reply