Handel and the Divas
A new exhibition revealing the on and offstage lives of the first great musical divas will open at Handel House on 30 April 2008. Handel and the Divas will explore the careers, rivalries, successes, failures and stories of scandalous behind-the-scenes behaviour which made the first divas the talk of 18th-century London.
The exhibition will concentrate on the female singers who brought Handel’s operas to life, providing a glimpse of a particularly extravagant part of London society, through a collection of objects, portraits and scores gathered from collections in the UK and Europe. Handel and the Divas will also be filled with the key music and performances which unite the characters in the exhibition and which secured the reputation of each featured diva.
Although not coined until the 19th century, the word diva (from the Italian ‘divina’, or ‘divine’) was inspired by the great female opera singers. Originally an entirely complimentary term, the word diva began to inherit notoriety due to the headstrong, arrogant and scandalous behaviour of the performers and is now regularly used to describe the attitudes of the modern prima donna.
The exhibition will feature Handel’s original divas, including, among others, Margherita Durastanti, Francesca Cuzzoni, Faustina Bordoni, Susannah Cibber and Kitty Clive.
The exhibition will reveal tales of opera house riots caused by ‘The Rival Queens’, Cuzzoni and Bordoni, whose always-fractious relationship reached a new low on stage in London, dividing their audience into braying rival factions; the disgraced singer who fled to Dublin after an affair (which became the talk of London) but later gave a show-stopping premiere performance of Handel’s Messiah; and the legend of the singer who Handel threatened to dangle from a window after she refused to sing an aria that he had written for someone else.
Among the exhibits are a rare and exquisite chalk and graphite sketch of Francesca Cuzzoni by Phillipe Mercier, on loan from the British Museum, maginificent oil portraits of Kitty Clive and Susannah Cibber from the Garrick Club, and Willem Verelst's portrait of Anna Maria Strada del Po from the Gerald Coke Handel Collection. These loans will join Handel House's own portrait of Faustina Bordoni by Nazari, and other significant items from public and private 18th-century collections. Handel and the Divas will also draw on brand new research by a group of writers, which will be published as a catalogue to accompany the exhibition.
The divas played an important role in Handel’s choice of subject and the development of his musical style. He sought particular female singers, first in Italy and later in Britain, to embody the female roles in his hugely successful operas and oratorios. The exhibition will cover the singers who created Handel's most famous roles.
Martin Wyatt, Deputy Director, Handel House Museum, said ‘Tales of the great female singers filled the gossip pages of 18th-century London newspapers, as, at that time, opera was the most popular public entertainment. By revealing the characters behind the first performances of Handel’s work, we will show the birth of the female opera singer, who coupled show-stopping performances with the demanding behaviour familiar to followers of the modern day diva. And amid the lurid tales and extravagant performances is the sublime music written by Handel, which continues to inspire audiences and divas alike.’
Throughout its run, Handel and the Divas will be complemented by a diverse series of live music events, exploring the repertoire created by the composer and his divas and performed in the very rooms in which Handel worked with the singers celebrated by the exhibition. Handel House Museum is at 25 Brook Street - Handel’s home from 1723 until his death in 1759.
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Notes to Editors:
The media preview for Handel and the Divas will take place on the morning of Tuesday 29 April 2008.
Handel House Museum opened in November 2001 and has brought the life of Handel to new audiences and Handel admirers ever since. The Museum hosts regular live music events featuring young, talented and established early music performers, changing exhibitions, family activities and weekend lecture-recitals, keeping Handel’s residence alive with music.
Handel made use of the whole house. His servants slept in the garret. The second floor was his bedroom and dressing room and the first was where he composed, rehearsed and held informal performances. From the ground floor, Handel sold copies of his music and tickets to his concerts. He was friendly with his neighbours and would invite friends over to listen to rehearsals or private performances of his new compositions.
Issued 15 January 2008 by The Press Office. For further information or pictures, please contact Michael Barrett or Kirsten Canning on 020 8295 2424, 07813-558772 or email kc@thepressoffice.uk.com