Maestro Giusepe Verdi and the opera are synonymous with beautiful and elaborate period piece costumes.

For the first time ever, a large number of original costumes used by famous singers like Luciano Pavarotti and Maria Callas during their most memorable performances are on display at the Seoul National University Museum of Art until Nov. 30.

Along with the costumes are original stage sketches ― used to develop the scenes and the costumes for the operas ― drawn by the great masters of the 20th century such as Giorgio De Chirico, Renato Guttuso and Pablo Picasso.

“All the items on exhibit belong to the unique and precious historical collection of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House), and range from the end of the 19th century until the 1970s,” said Italian Cultural Institute Director Lucio Izzo.

“This exhibition was specially designed to be presented in the world capitals of opera, among which Seoul stands due to its great love and tradition for this music genre.”

Original scores by Verdi, never before shown outside Italy, will also be presented only in Seoul.

On the sidelines of this exhibition, the Institute and SNU have organized a special concert series dedicated to Verdi.

During the performances, Korean singers will hold five concerts presenting a rich choice of Verdi’s operatic work. In addition, 18 videos featuring the most famous historical productions of Verdi’s operas staged at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma starting from the 1950s, will be presented during the exhibition period.

“This exhibition is also the closing and most meaningful event of the Week of the Italian Language in the World, promoted every year by the Italian Foreign Ministry,” Izzo noted.

This year’s celebration focuses on the anniversary of the Italian Unification, with several events taking part at major Korean universities and institutions.

The 150th anniversary of Italian Unification was crowned by an almost century-long struggle for independence and self-determination.

The Risorgimento (Resurgence) of this time period was a political, diplomatic and military development made possible due to the strong cultural movement that prepared and supported the action taken by Italian patriots and the country’s people.

“Verdi was a central figure in this cultural movement and his charisma reached well beyond his great musical genius. His operas not only delighted the spectators but cast a spark that inflamed the patriotic spirit of all Italians,” said Izzo.

By Yoav Cerralbo (yoav@heraldcorp.com)