Set model for Der Rosenkavalier
Set Model
1959 (designed)
1959 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Great Britain’s leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel’s traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.
Der Rosenkavalier, an opera by Richard Strauss (1909-1910), was mounted at Glyndebourne in 1959 in tribute to Carl Ebert, who retired that year after 25 years as the director of Glyndebourne. The production received criticism for the small stage overcrowded with performers and scenery. Set in Vienna during the eighteenth century reign of Empress Maria Theresa, Messel created a lavish rococo fantasy. This was his last production for Glyndebourne.
Martin Cooper, the Daily Telegraph critic, found Messel’s set for an inn full of disreputable characters in Act III charming. However, for the Observer critic Edmund Tracey, the pastel yellow, blues and pinks were too pallid and lacking in personality, and he thought that the set made ineffective use of the small Glyndebourne stage.
Der Rosenkavalier, an opera by Richard Strauss (1909-1910), was mounted at Glyndebourne in 1959 in tribute to Carl Ebert, who retired that year after 25 years as the director of Glyndebourne. The production received criticism for the small stage overcrowded with performers and scenery. Set in Vienna during the eighteenth century reign of Empress Maria Theresa, Messel created a lavish rococo fantasy. This was his last production for Glyndebourne.
Martin Cooper, the Daily Telegraph critic, found Messel’s set for an inn full of disreputable characters in Act III charming. However, for the Observer critic Edmund Tracey, the pastel yellow, blues and pinks were too pallid and lacking in personality, and he thought that the set made ineffective use of the small Glyndebourne stage.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Set model for Der Rosenkavalier (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, cardboard, fabric, and paint. |
| Brief description | Set model by Oliver Messel for Private Room in an Inn, Act III of Richard Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier, Glyndebourne 1959. |
| Physical description | A set model by Oliver Messel for a private room in an inn near Vienna, Act III, in a Glyndebourne production of Der Rosenkavalier, 1959. The set model is enclosed in a wooden box which is painted black. A set composed of cutcloths and backcloths. A view of a parlour and a bedroom. The inn is in rococo style with yellow walls featuring pink and blue floral/rococo decoration. Shutters and doors are also shaded pink and blue. A barrel, violin and bottles sit in an alcove above the bed. Kitchen table with white cloth and candelstick on top. A portrait and grandfather clock. Dishes on shelf. In the distance, open painted doors with view of barrels. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Model |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Oliver Messel Esq / 17 Pelham Place / London / SW7' Note Inscribed in biro on a paper tag tied to the set model with a piece of string on the inside. |
| Credit line | Acquired with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&A |
| Object history | Der Rosenkavalier (1909-1910), an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with libretto by Hugo von Hofsmannsthal. Oliver Messel’s production was first performed by the Glyndebourne Festival Opera at Glyndebourne on 28 May, 1959. It was directed by Carl Ebert and featured Elisabeth Söderström as Octavian, Regine Crespin as the Marschallin and Anneliese Rothenberger as Sophie. It was revived at Glyndebourne in 1960 and 1965. This was Messel’s last production for Glyndebourne. Lord Snowdon, Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatre designs and other designs and artefacts. The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005. Historical significance: Messel worked for Glyndebourne from 1951 to 1959, when he was at the height of his popularity as a designer for the stage. His work for Glyndebourne in this period is regarded as some of his best designs. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commission |
| Summary | Great Britain’s leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel’s traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean. Der Rosenkavalier, an opera by Richard Strauss (1909-1910), was mounted at Glyndebourne in 1959 in tribute to Carl Ebert, who retired that year after 25 years as the director of Glyndebourne. The production received criticism for the small stage overcrowded with performers and scenery. Set in Vienna during the eighteenth century reign of Empress Maria Theresa, Messel created a lavish rococo fantasy. This was his last production for Glyndebourne. Martin Cooper, the Daily Telegraph critic, found Messel’s set for an inn full of disreputable characters in Act III charming. However, for the Observer critic Edmund Tracey, the pastel yellow, blues and pinks were too pallid and lacking in personality, and he thought that the set made ineffective use of the small Glyndebourne stage. |
| Bibliographic reference | Pinkham, Roger (ed.) Oliver Messel, London, V&A, 1983
|
| Other number | ROT 8880 - TM Rotation Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.206-2006 |
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| Record created | July 21, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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