Opera is an art form that tells a story through beautifully written live music and singing. Since the first ever opera, Dafne, was performed in Florence in 1597, opera has become an influential artistic discipline that has captivated audiences around the world.
Read by opera-lovers and industry professionals alike, Opera magazine has been covering all things related to the operatic art form every month since February 1950. The magazine has now become one of the most trusted sources of reviews, news and opinion in the opera world.
Let’s look into the history of Opera, the magazine that makes this multidisciplinary genre accessible to everyone.
A Magazine Founded on a Love of Opera
We mean to cover in prospect and retrospect any form of serious operatic activity, amateur or professional, that is in our opinion of interest to the intelligent opera-goer.”
George Lascelles, tHE 7TH EARL OF HAREWOOD, founder of opera
As a music enthusiast, George Lascelles, the 7th Earl of Harewood, devoted most of his career to opera with his Yorkshire heritage fostering his interest. In March 1949, he attended a performance of operatic works by the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra and within a few months, he had become patron of the orchestra’s concerts. In February 1950, George Lascelles founded Opera magazine, launching it with a large party in London with many music-loving guests in attendance.
Three years later, music critic, writer, lecturer, and broadcaster Harold Rosenthal took over as Editor of the magazine, and for many years, the magazine was run from the front room of his house in north London. By 1986, when the editorship was handed to musicologist and writer, Rodney Milnes, Opera finally moved into its own office in Hampton Wick, Richmond upon Thames.
A History of Prominent Contributors
Since its inception, the magazine has featured articles from a diverse range of highly regarded contributors, including political theorists, philosophers, composers, conductors, authors, cartoonists, architectural historians and operatic sopranos.
The list includes prominent names such as Isaiah Berlin, Pierre Boulez, E.M. Forster, Osbert Lancaster, Magda Olivero and Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the magazine’s network of international writers continues to expand.
Today, Opera can draw upon a team of contributors across the globe that is unequalled in its reach, from Anchorage to Auckland and from Santiago to Tokyo. Many regular writers are among the world’s leading critics and musicologists.
An Independent and International Future
Opera has never been owned by any large publishing house and has always remained proudly independent with a focus on making the art form accessible to everyone. Founder George Lascelles stated in the first ever issue of the magazine; “The views of those who practise opera and of those who only criticise it will appear side by side, and detailed articles on individual operas and composers will supplement news of British and foreign productions of operas ancient and modern.“
The magazine continues to be the best place for music-lovers and industry professionals to access the latest news from the opera world and includes an extensive range of feature articles, interviews, listings and reviews. It now also incorporates the US publication Opera News, meaning the range of exclusive content extends further, offering unrivalled worldwide coverage of operatic events.
Digital subscriptions to the latest issues and complete archive of Opera are available from Exact Editions for individuals here and for institutions here.
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