The BBC has announced a season of opera programming, which will coincide with a new exhibition at the V&A in London titled Opera: Passion, Power And Politics. Starting in autumn 2017 it will include radio, television and online elements that aim to celebrate ‘the power of opera’.
Historian Lucy Worsley will present a two-part documentary on BBC two alongside Royal Opera House music director Antonio Pappano, exploring elements from the V&A exhibition. Meanwhile, BBC Radio 3 is to broadcast seven of the operas featured by the V&A/. Other tie-ins include live broadcasts of In Tune and Music Matters from the museum, and a special series from Composer Of The Week looking at the Puccini’s operas.
Jonty Claypole, director of BBC Arts, said: ‘Working with the V&A, Royal Opera House and others, we want to bring alive the remarkable inside story of how it became a global passion, while showcasing some of the finest operatic work across the UK today and re-surfacing treasures from the BBC archive. Working together, we will engage ever larger audiences and inspire a whole new generation of opera lovers.’
Opera: Passion, Power And Politics, created in collaboration with the Royal Opera House, runs from 30 September 2017 – 25 February 2018.