Fidelio
Set Design
1965 (made)
1965 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Set design by Leslie Hurry for 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 setting was criticised by Philip Hope Wallace in the Guardian (17/09/19650) for giving ‘no sense of place (open yard or deep dungeon) and merely splits the stage into two levels like the underground house in Peter Pan’ but Arthur Jacobs in the Sunday Times considered it ‘well imagined’. The critic in The Times went into more detail: ‘the donnée of this production is Mr. Hurry’s unit set, which has a rough wooden dais in front of a huge portcullis. Two staircases, small and characteristically semi-circular, enclosing what will be Florestan’s cell, lead down to stage level where Marzelline is discovered…sorting greengroceries. Mr. Hurry’s aim is evidently to push the action towards the footlights, abjure spaciousness, emphasizes raw materials and the sensation of claustrophobia.'
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 setting was criticised by Philip Hope Wallace in the Guardian (17/09/19650) for giving ‘no sense of place (open yard or deep dungeon) and merely splits the stage into two levels like the underground house in Peter Pan’ but Arthur Jacobs in the Sunday Times considered it ‘well imagined’. The critic in The Times went into more detail: ‘the donnée of this production is Mr. Hurry’s unit set, which has a rough wooden dais in front of a huge portcullis. Two staircases, small and characteristically semi-circular, enclosing what will be Florestan’s cell, lead down to stage level where Marzelline is discovered…sorting greengroceries. Mr. Hurry’s aim is evidently to push the action towards the footlights, abjure spaciousness, emphasizes raw materials and the sensation of claustrophobia.'
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Fidelio (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Pen, crayon, coloured pencil, and pencil on paper |
| Brief description | Set design by Leslie Hurry for Beethoven's Fidelio by Edward J. Dent and John Arden, Sadler's Wells, 1965 |
| Physical description | Pen, crayon and coloured pencil set design on paper with pencil inscription by Leslie Hurry for Beethoven's Fidelio by Edward J. Dent and John Arden, Sadler's Wells, 1965. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | £30
13
Rough [for?] Sc. I
Sadler's Wells Opera Co.
C V (On reverse in pencil and black and purple ink) |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone |
| Summary | Set design by Leslie Hurry for 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 setting was criticised by Philip Hope Wallace in the Guardian (17/09/19650) for giving ‘no sense of place (open yard or deep dungeon) and merely splits the stage into two levels like the underground house in Peter Pan’ but Arthur Jacobs in the Sunday Times considered it ‘well imagined’. The critic in The Times went into more detail: ‘the donnée of this production is Mr. Hurry’s unit set, which has a rough wooden dais in front of a huge portcullis. Two staircases, small and characteristically semi-circular, enclosing what will be Florestan’s cell, lead down to stage level where Marzelline is discovered…sorting greengroceries. Mr. Hurry’s aim is evidently to push the action towards the footlights, abjure spaciousness, emphasizes raw materials and the sensation of claustrophobia.' |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1646-2014 |
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 24, 2014 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
