PRESS RELEASE

Bertelsmann Opens Verdi Exhibition ‘The Enterprise of ’ in Berlin

 Numerous personalities from Berlin’s cultural scene at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1  Treasures from Milan’s Archivio Ricordi provide rare insights into the genesis of “Otello” and “”

Berlin, August 29, 2013 – A modern soiree, staged readings and famous Verdi arias mark the opening of Bertelsmann’s “The Enterprise of Opera” exhibition on Thursday evening in Berlin. In Verdi Year 2013, it presents unique cultural treasures from the Archivio Ricordi in Milan. The archive, which is part of Bertelsmann, contains the world’s most important collection on Italian opera history. Through September 15, original documents by Giuseppe Verdi, which illustrate the genesis of his two late operas “Otello” and “Falstaff,” will be on view for the first time in Germany at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin. Exhibits include original scores, librettos, selected correspondence, stage sets and figurines – and thus the artistic origins of two of Verdi’s most important works. The exhibition is rounded off with costumes from “Otello” und “Falstaff” performances taken from 's inventory. The valuable artifacts, supplemented by audio stations, videos and a touchscreen for virtually leafing through the historic scores, bring 19th-century opera culture to life. They also speak of the creative interplay between the music publisher Giulio Ricordi, the librettist Arrigo Boito, and the celebrated composer Giuseppe Verdi, who was born 200 years ago on October 10.

The exhibition will be opened in the presence of Bertelsmann Chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe, who hopes it will attract a lot of interested visitors: “The exhibition offers rare glimpses into the thinking and working of a musical and artistic genius, and the zeitgeist of his time. Until now, the Archivio Ricordi was primarily open to researchers. With this creative presentation, we are opening it to a wider public.”

About a hundred personalities from the city’s cultural and social scene are expected at the opening, including Max Raabe, singer and director of the Palast Orchester, designer Jette Joop, photographer Jim Rakete, actors Tonio Arango and Michael Trischan, UFA boss Wolf Bauer, composer/singer Cymin Samawatie, Goethe Institute President Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation President Hermann Parzinger, and RBB Director Dagmar Reim. Given the high importance of the Archivio Ricordi for Italy, the Italian Ambassador Elio Menzione has also confirmed his attendance.

[email protected] Page 1 of 3 www.bertelsmann.com Highlights of the program include stage dialogs, readings and vocal performances. The musicologist and journalist Axel Brüggemann will talk to Bertelsmann Chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe, the exhibition’s curator Gabriele Dotto, and Italy's Ambassador Menzione about Verdi and the Archivio Ricordi. TV and ensemble actors will read from the prolific correspondence between Verdi, Boito and Ricordi. The internationally renowned Massimo Giordano and opera singers from Berlin’s Opernstudio (Opera Studio), which is sponsored by Liz Mohn, will also perform key arias from “Otello” and “Falstaff.”

The exhibition is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. between August 30 and September 15. Admission is free. Bertelsmann’s Berlin premises will also be taking part in the Long Night of Museums on August 31, when the exhibition will be open until 2:00 a.m.

About Bertelsmann Bertelsmann is an international media company whose core divisions encompass television (RTL Group), book publishing (Penguin Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), services (Arvato), and printing (Be Printers) in some 50 countries. In 2011, the company’s businesses, with their more than 100,000 employees, generated revenues of €15.3 billion. Bertelsmann stands for a combination of creativity and entrepreneurship that empowers the creation of first-rate media, communications, and service offerings to inspire people around the world and to provide innovative solutions for customers.

For further questions, please contact:

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA Andreas Grafemeyer Senior Vice President Media Relations Phone: +49 – 52 41 / 80 24 66 [email protected]

“The Enterprise of Opera: Verdi. Boito. Ricordi“

Berlin: August 30th – September 15th, 2013 Bertelsmann Premises in Berlin Unter den Linden 1 10117 Berlin Phone: +49 (0) 30-520099 200 Free admission

For more information about the exhibition and the Archivio Storico Ricordi, please visit www.bertelsmann.com, or the www.enterpriseopera.com and www.ricordicompany.com homepages.

[email protected] Page 2 of 3 www.bertelsmann.com Press photos of the archival materials from Milan are available for free download from our website www.bertelsmann.com (Press / Photos and Logos / Enterprise of Opera).

Press photos from the Berlin exhibition are available – also for free download – at this URL: http://team.domhv.net/sites/RICORDI/SitePages/Homepage.aspx

User: DOMHV\Ricordi (MAC keyboard shortcut for the backslash symbol: Shift + Alt + 7) Password: Ricordi

During the course of the evening, pictures from the exhibition opening will also be posted on this site. Editors are free to use the images provided they include the copyright mention “© Bertelsmann”.

[email protected] Page 3 of 3 www.bertelsmann.com