Exhibitions

Current Exhibition

Handel and the Divas

30 April to 16 November 2008

This major exhibition will explore the careers, rivalries, successes, failures and stories of scandalous behind-the-scenes behaviour which made the first divas the talk of 18th-century London, through portraits, scores, objects, and of course, the music they sang. A series of special events and recitals will run alongside the exhibition.

Exhibition tickets: £5 or £4.50 concession, includes museum admission.
Advance booking online or telephone 0870 842 2241.

Forthcoming Diva Events

Events booking line: 020 7399 1953

Thursday 7 August, 6.30pm-7.30pm
Diva Thursday Live: Anastasia Robinson (SOLD OUT)
Anastasia Robinson had a very eventful life on and off the stage, which involved marrying an Earl in secret and being insulted by the castrato Senesino. Her career was over by 1724 by which time she had sung in several of Handel’s great operas. Katherine Allen (mezzo soprano) and Julian Perkins (harpsichord) will present a programme of music to include arias from Ottone and Giulio Cesare.
Tickets: £9 / £7.50 concessions

Thursday 14 August, 6.30pm - 7.30pm
Diva Thursday Live: Diva Highlights (please note the programme and performers have changed from a previously advertised concert).
A selection of Diva favourites from Rinaldo, Semele, Giulio Cesare and Alcina performed by Gabriela Di Laccio (soprano), Felicity Broome-Skelton (baroque violin), David Wright (harpsichord) and guest baroque cellist/gamba player.
Tickets: £9 / £7.50 concessions

Previous Exhibitions

Handel and Glyndebourne
2 May - 28 October 2007
Exhibition free with admission

It has only been during the 20th and 21st centuries that opera houses have re-discovered the attractions of Handel's operas and oratorios. After Handel's death in 1759, there were no staged performances of Handel's works until 1920. Glyndebourne, amongst many other opera companies and festivals, has been part of the re-emergence of staging Handel productions. This small exhibition at Handel House will explore the four works that Glyndebourne has presented at their home in Sussex, using images, costumes, props, scores, programmes and music.

During the exhibition there will be an opportunity to hear a series of related concerts featuring music from Jephtha, Theodora, Rodelinda and Giulio Cesare.

Handel & the Castrati
29 March - 1 October 2006

Exhibition FREE with museum admission

Handel & the Castrati reveals the stories behind the eighteenth-century operatic superstars. These male singers, with remarkably powerful and high voices, brought their celebrity status to wherever they travelled, and were surrounded by money, extensive entourages and adoring fans.

The exhibition features portraits, prints, scores, recordings and objects relating to the castrati, including the instruments used in 'the operation'. A series of castrati-related events will run alongside the exhibition until 1 October. For more information about the exhibition and castrati events, see the Handel & the Castrati mini website.

This exhibition is supported by a syndicate of individual donors and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Londra.

Hendrix: A Private View
20 November 2003 - 6 June 2004

Supported by Capital Gold Network www.capitalgold.com

The Handel House Museum presents a major new exhibition - Hendrix: A Private View - which brings together for the first time forty rarely-seen as well as iconic photographic images of rock music's greatest guitarist. The exhibition, in collaboration with Backbeat Books, includes works by photographers David Redfern, Baron Wolman, Miki Slingsby, Gered Mankowitz, Bruce Fleming, Richard Wolff, Jan Persson and Barrie Wentzell and captures not only the flamboyant stage persona, but the thoughtful, reflective musician behind the rock icon.

Jimi Hendrix lived at 23 Brook Street, W1 from 1968-69 at the peak of his tragically short career. Upon learning that the composer Handel had lived next door at 25 Brook Street 250 years beforehand, he went to a local record shop and bought some works including Messiah and the Water Music.

For Hendrix, Brook Street was the doorstep to the London music scene of the late 60s. His flat was a short stroll from legendary venues like the Marquee, the Speakeasy and the Saville, and he would spend many evenings wandering from club to club looking for a chance to play. On 14 September 1997, 23 Brook Street was chosen for an English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorating his life and work. Since November 2001, the upper floors of 23 Brook Street including Hendrix's flat, have been part of the Handel House Museum.

The exhibition is curated by author, critic and broadcaster, Keith Shadwick to coincide with the publication of his penetrating and fully illustrated book Jimi Hendrix: Musician by Backbeat Books (November 2003).

Museum Director, Jacqueline Riding says "Jimi Hendrix is an important part of the history of the Handel House Museum. This exhibition and associated events, reflects our on-going commitment to celebrate the Museum's other famous occupant."

Copies of Jimi Hendrix: Musician are available from Backbeat Books. For further information, please contact Mark Brend or John Ryall on 020 7720 3581 or email mark@backbeatuk.com or john@backbeatuk.com.

'The Purest Benevolence'
Handel and the Foundling Hospital
6 March - 2 November 2003

The Museum's first major exhibition will focus on Handel's remarkable relationship with the Foundling Hospital, England's first hospital for abandoned children. Drawn from the extraordinary collection of Coram Family in the care of the Foundling Museum (currently closed for refurbishment), this exhibition of over 30 objects includes such rarely seen treasures as the complete Messiah copy and parts which Handel gave to the hospital in his will - displayed here for the first time in its entirety - the score of the "Foundling Hospital Anthem" which Handel composed and performed for the hospital's benefit, tokens left with the children by their destitute mothers, as well as paintings, prints, manuscripts and costumes.

The hospital was instigated by Capt Thomas Coram, who was moved by the terrible sight of babies - many born to unmarried women - and young children left to die in London's streets. After a 20-year struggle, the hospital was founded in 1739.

Stimulated by "motives of the purest benevolence and humanity" (Charles Burney), Handel's involvement began in 1749 with a concert in aid of the hospital's chapel building work. In 1750 he donated the chapel organ and from that year onwards Messiah was performed under his direction on an annual basis for the Hospital's benefit. It is estimated that within a decade Handel had generated income of £10,000.