The Queen of Spades
Costume Design
1966 (made)
1966 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Costume design by Leslie Hurry for a promenader in Act I, Scene I of Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades, Sadler's Wells Theatre, 1966. The design, for a costume to be worn by the bass Ian Macpherson, was not used in final production.
This production of the three-act opera, The Queen of Spades by Peter Tchaikovsky, with its libretto based on Alexander Pushkin’s story by Modest Tchaikovsky, was performed in an English translation by Rosa Newmarch. The first production of this opera at Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened on 14 September 1966. The production was directed by Anthony Besch with choreography by Harry Haythorne and Leslie Hurry’s designs were lit by Charles Bristow.
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.
Leslie Hurry’s designs for The Queen of Spades were criticised for their lack of colour, and for failing to convey the lavish dress and wealth of aristocratic society in 18th-century St Petersburg. The Sunday Times, however, considered the sets ‘harmoniously coloured’ and ‘suitably uncluttered and oppressive’ and a reviewer writing for The Times found the costumes of Russian officers in the gambling scene particularly 'appealing'.
This production of the three-act opera, The Queen of Spades by Peter Tchaikovsky, with its libretto based on Alexander Pushkin’s story by Modest Tchaikovsky, was performed in an English translation by Rosa Newmarch. The first production of this opera at Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened on 14 September 1966. The production was directed by Anthony Besch with choreography by Harry Haythorne and Leslie Hurry’s designs were lit by Charles Bristow.
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.
Leslie Hurry’s designs for The Queen of Spades were criticised for their lack of colour, and for failing to convey the lavish dress and wealth of aristocratic society in 18th-century St Petersburg. The Sunday Times, however, considered the sets ‘harmoniously coloured’ and ‘suitably uncluttered and oppressive’ and a reviewer writing for The Times found the costumes of Russian officers in the gambling scene particularly 'appealing'.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | The Queen of Spades (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Ink, watercolour and pencil |
Brief description | Costume design by Leslie Hurry for a promenader in Act I, Scene I of Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades, Sadler's Wells Theatre, 1966 |
Physical description | Costume design by Leslie Hurry for a promenader in Act I, Scene I of the 1966 production of The Queen of Spades at Sadler's Wells Theatre. The design shows a full-length, profile view of a man in a wide-brimmed hat, over a pale wig. He has a long, formal, double breasted, green coat. The coat is trimmed with braid and has wide, turned back, cuffs. A fur muff rests on his left wrist. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions |
|
Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
Literary reference | Queen of Spades |
Summary | Costume design by Leslie Hurry for a promenader in Act I, Scene I of Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades, Sadler's Wells Theatre, 1966. The design, for a costume to be worn by the bass Ian Macpherson, was not used in final production. This production of the three-act opera, The Queen of Spades by Peter Tchaikovsky, with its libretto based on Alexander Pushkin’s story by Modest Tchaikovsky, was performed in an English translation by Rosa Newmarch. The first production of this opera at Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened on 14 September 1966. The production was directed by Anthony Besch with choreography by Harry Haythorne and Leslie Hurry’s designs were lit by Charles Bristow. 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. Leslie Hurry’s designs for The Queen of Spades were criticised for their lack of colour, and for failing to convey the lavish dress and wealth of aristocratic society in 18th-century St Petersburg. The Sunday Times, however, considered the sets ‘harmoniously coloured’ and ‘suitably uncluttered and oppressive’ and a reviewer writing for The Times found the costumes of Russian officers in the gambling scene particularly 'appealing'. |
Collection | |
Accession number | S.1394-2014 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | July 11, 2014 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSON