In Toulouse, the Opéra du Capitole exhibits its prestigious sets, costumes and accessories

2023-05-11 17:54:04

Published on 11/05/2023 17:54

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The exhibition, which brings together nearly 150 exceptional pieces, is on view until September 24 at the Couvent des Jacobins. The former religious building housed the workshops of the Toulouse opera for almost thirty years.

Whether you are a lover of opera or not, it is a exposition where we take full eyes. The sets presented are sublime, as are the props or costumes that bring operas and ballets of the past to life for the public. “Here you have the Palace of Baghdad which was made for the Opera Oberon, you have the large equestrian statue first created for the Opera The Prophet which was later transformed into a circus horse for Wozzeck” lists Pierre Catalo, curator of the exhibition, while strolling through the huge 600 m2 room. At the center of this gigantic space is one of the centerpieces of the exhibition: the monumental gold-colored staircase used in The ValkyrieWagner’s most popular opera performed in 2018 at the Chapters.

The staircase of La Valkyrie, signed by the decorator Ezio Frigerio (France 3 Midi-Pyrenees)

The visitor is also invited to discover many more real-than-life objects: a table and its trays of food, royal crowns, jewellery… all artificial, of course! Another nice surprise: the wigs designed by Christian Lacroix for A masked ballVerdi’s opera presented in 2014 in Toulouse.

The creative professions in the spotlight

The exhibition thus invites the public to enter behind the scenes of the opera. Through panels, models, videos, the accent is placed on the making of shows. “The visitor discovers all the workshops but also all the shadow trades that we do not see when we attend an opera performance but without which the magic of the show could not unfold” explains Marie Bonnabel, curator of the Couvent des Jacobins. Painters, sculptors, ironworkers or even seamstresses, all exercise their know-how in the Capitole workshops. Workshops which, from 1954 to 1981, were housed in the former refectory of the Couvent des Jacobins where this exhibition takes place today.

Exposition The factory of the Capitol Opera ; Couvent des Jacobins, Place des Jacobins, Allée Maurice Prin in Toulouse; until September 24, 2023; Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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