Frederick's 'Montezuma'. - Power and Meaning in the Prussian Court Opera

On 6th January 1755 a very special premiere took place in the Royal Opera House Unter den Linden: the opera Montezuma, a work for which King Frederick II had himself drafted the libretto. The Kapellmeister at the court, Carl Heinrich Graun, had set the story of the conquest of Mexico to music. From what we know from the contemporary reports Montezuma appears to have been very popular with the audience. This was hardly a surprise, as not only excellent singers were to be witnessed, but also a magnificent stage setting and spectacular visual effects. The royal court orchestra - an ensemble of high quality that stood comparison with other European music centres - made a significant contribution to this splendid event.

The exhibition shows the textual and musical sources to Montezuma, describes how the work was created and examines the conceptual background. In this regard, at least two people played a key role: Frederick's oldest sister, Margravine Wilhelmina of Bayreuth, and the Venetian Count Algarotti, whom Frederick II appointed to his court. From their correspondence, it is clear what Frederick's main concern was, and how the opera gradually took shape - both musically and dramatically.

The exhibition is not, however, restricted to this kind of source research, but also attempts to display as many facets as possible: stage designs by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, replicas of baroque stage machinery, historical instruments from the collection of the Musikinstrumenten-Museum. At the same time it embarks on an exciting journey through the world of opera of that period.

The exhibition is being held as part of a wider series of events called 'Art - King - Enlightenment', coordinated by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in honour of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Frederick the Great on 24 January 2012.