Not currently on display at the V&A

Fidelio

Costume Design
1965 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume design by Leslie Hurry for chorus members Catherine Leskie (soprano), Jean Mountford (soprano), Janet Leggatt (mezzo soprano) and Annette Wilson (mezzo soprano) as villagers in a version of Beethoven's Fidelio by Edward J. Dent and John Arden, Sadler's Wells, 1965.

Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.

Sadler’s Wells Opera’s production of Fidelio, an opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven with a libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner in an English version by Edward J. Dent with new dialogue by John Arden, was first performed at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, on 7 September 1965 and opened at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, on 16 September 1965. It was produced by John Blatchley.

The costumes for Fidelio were described in The Times as’ coarse and rather seedy’.



Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleFidelio (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Pen, watercolour, coloured pencil, crayon and pencil with fabric swatches
Brief description
Costume design by Leslie Hurry for chorus members Catherine Leskie, Jean Mountford, Janet Leggatt and Annette Wilson as villagers in a version of Beethoven's Fidelio by Edward J. Dent and John Arden, Sadler's Wells, 1965
Physical description
Pen, watercolour, crayon and coloured pencil costume design on paper with pencil inscription, black and orange striped swatch in top right corner and bright and dull green swatch in bottom right corner. The design shows costumes for chorus members Catherine Leskie, Jean Mountford, Janet Leggatt and Annette Wilson as villagers in the 1965 production of Fidelio at Sadler's Wells Theatre.
Dimensions
  • Height: 37.4cm
  • Width: 25.2cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • 1A Leskie 2A Wilson 1. Leggatt 2. Mountford [?] skirt Burlap apron printed wool top cotton blouse Villagers [e?] panel[?] 30? Fidelio PERHAPS NOT COMPLETE COSTUMES (On front side in pencil and black ink)
  • V V (On reverse side in purple ink)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone
Summary
Costume design by Leslie Hurry for chorus members Catherine Leskie (soprano), Jean Mountford (soprano), Janet Leggatt (mezzo soprano) and Annette Wilson (mezzo soprano) as villagers in a version of Beethoven's Fidelio by Edward J. Dent and John Arden, Sadler's Wells, 1965.

Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.

Sadler’s Wells Opera’s production of Fidelio, an opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven with a libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner in an English version by Edward J. Dent with new dialogue by John Arden, was first performed at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, on 7 September 1965 and opened at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, on 16 September 1965. It was produced by John Blatchley.

The costumes for Fidelio were described in The Times as’ coarse and rather seedy’.

Collection
Accession number
S.1625-2014

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Record createdJuly 23, 2014
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