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18 beautiful vintage opera posters
The 19th century was a golden age for music – and the posters advertising the productions of these now iconic operas are artworks in their own right. We've put together a gallery of some of the most eye-catching from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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1. Puccini's La bohème
Henri Murger’s novel 'Scènes de la vie bohème' paints a picture of the comic and frequently squalid lives of a group of ‘bohemians’ in 1840s Paris. Puccini took a group of the characters and from it crafted one of the most beautiful and heart-breaking operas of all time. This poster dates from 1896 – the year the opera was premiered in Turin. Image: Alamy
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2. Verdi's Aida
Verdi’s epic opera about the love between the enslaved Ethiopian princess, Aida, and the Egyptian captain, Radamès, was premiered in Cairo on 24 December 1871 and has proved to be one of the composer’s most popular works. This poster was for a 1908 production in Cleveland. Image: Alamy
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3. Wagner's Tannhäuser
‘Tannhäuser’ was first performed in Dresden in 1845 and tells the supernatural story of one man’s quest for absolution from his sins. Wagner’s opera opens with an orgy overseen by Venus, the goddess of love. Image: Getty
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4. Puccini's Turandot
Puccini’s ‘Turandot’ is a dramatic tale of violence, tyranny and love and is also the opera for which the composer wrote the now famous ‘Nessun Dorma’ aria. The opera was first performed in 1926 in Milan. Image: Getty
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5. Massenet's Werther
Massenet’s opera based on Goethe’s hugely popular book 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' was premiered in Vienna in 1892. The opera follows the book’s story of the hopeless love of Werther for Charlotte. This elegant poster advertises the French premiere, which took place the following year. Image: Alamy
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6. Puccini's Manon Lescaut
The story of Manon Lescaut by l’Abbé Prévost has inspired operas by Massenet and Puccini, a ballet choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan and a handful of films. This poster from the late 19th century advertises Puccini’s 'Manon Lescaut', which was first performed in 1893. Credit: Getty
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7. Leoncavallo's Pagliacci
Leoncavallo’s opera is the dramatic tale of a group of touring players performing ‘The Troubles of Pagliacci’. But those troubles spill over into the ‘real’ lives of the actors. This 1915 poster advertises a film version of the popular opera. Image: Rex Features
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8. Bizet's Carmen
Bizet’s 1875 opera about the fiery gypsy woman, Carmen, has some of the most famous tunes in all of opera – from Carmen’s own Habanera (“L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”) to the Toreador Song. This eye-catching poster dates from 1939. Image: Alamy
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9. Puccini's Il tabarro
This one-act opera is part of Puccini’s triptych 'Il trittico' and is a dark tale of infidelity and murder set on the banks of the Seine, as this striking early 20th-century poster suggests. Image: Getty
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10. Verdi's Otello
The works of Shakespeare were a key inspiration for Giuseppe Verdi – 'Otello' is just one of a clutch of operas based on works by the bard. This 1887 poster advertises the premiere of an opera now regarded as one of Verdi’s most powerful works. Image: Alamy
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11. Puccini's Madame Butterfly
This stunning 1904 poster shows a moment from the tear-jerking last scene from Puccini’s opera. 'Madame Butterfly' tells the story of the doomed marriage between a young Japanese woman, Cio-Cio-San (known as Butterfly) and an American Lieutenant called B.F. Pinkerton. Image: Alamy
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12. Verdi's Falstaff
Verdi’s final opera, 'Falstaff', received its premiere in 1893 at the world-famous Teatro alla Scala, Milan. This poster advertises that first historic performance. Image: Alamy
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13. Puccini's Tosca
Puccini’s dramatic work about an operatic diva – Tosca – caught up in a revolutionary struggle was first performed in Rome in January 1900. The title character is a dream role for a soprano, boasting a show-stopping aria in the form of ‘Vissi d’arte’. Image: Alamy
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14. Massenet's Cendrillon
Jules Massenet isn’t the only composer to have spotted the operatic potential in the fairy-tale of Cinderella – Rossini’s 'La Cenerentola' also tackles the original rags-to-riches story. This poster advertises the premiere of the opera, at the Opéra Comique, Paris, in 1899. Image: Getty
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15. Puccini's Madame Butterfly
This poster from around the time of the premiere of 'Madame Butterfly’ (1904) captures Butterfly’s anticipation as she patiently waits for Lieutenant Pinkerton’s return. Image: Rex Features
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16. Mozart's The Magic Flute
Mozart’s wonderful 'The Magic Flute' was premiered in Vienna in 1791 – and this is one of the posters printed to advertise that first performance. The opera follows the lovers Tamino and Pamina and also includes the famously fiendish Queen of the Night’s aria ‘Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen’. Image: Alamy
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17. Wagner's Lohengrin
Wagner’s opera about a mysterious knight who arrives riding a swan is perhaps most famous for its wedding march (known as ‘Here comes the bride…’). This poster is for an 1898 performance in Paris. Image: Getty
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18. Puccini's Tosca
This eye-catching poster for Puccini's 'Tosca' shows a crucial scene from the opera in which Tosca kills the evil Baron Scarpia. Image: Alamy
