Why art and opera make such passionate bedfellows

The lives of artists have often been turned into opera. But as in the ENO's new production of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini sometimes the truth is wilder (and more murderous) than fiction

Art and opera have gone together ever since the first operatic spectacles were staged in Renaissance Italy. Opera is by definition a multimedia entertainment that brings together the visual with music. But in the heightened romantic world of operatic storytelling, artists are also liable to turn up as characters.

After all, their lives are so intense, so risky, so egotistical ... so operatic.

Continue reading...