Dido and Aeneas
In partnership with Opera Zuid and Nederlandse Reisopera, Dutch National Opera has developed a new concert experience in a Purcell programme centred around his short opera Dido and Aeneas. This music from more than 300 years ago is interpreted by a new generation of opera singers under the leadership of the young Baroque specialist Camille Delaforge.
Henry Purcell’s gripping drama, based on Virgil’s The Aeneid, tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his love affair, thwarted by witchcraft, with the Carthaginian queen Dido. As the sails of the ship carrying Aeneas away from Carthage disappear over the horizon, we hear Dido’s famous lament. ‘Remember me but forget my fate’, she sings while she goes to her death, calling on those around her to remember everything about her except her tragic end. Prior to Dido and Aeneas, Purcell’s ‘When Orpheus sang’ from his now-lost semi-opera The Grove, or Love’s Paradise (1691), is performed by Dutch National Opera Studio alumna Polly Leech. Camille Delaforge has enriched the instrumental interludes in Dido and Aeneas with a variety of dance music, giving the continuo and orchestra ample space to flourish. A model for companies in other countries, the collaboration between Dutch National Opera, Opera Zuid and Nederlandse Reisopera is creating opportunities for new talent to shine in the Netherlands and on the global stage, OperaVision.
CAST
Dido | Martina Myskohlid |
|---|---|
Aeneas | Leander Carlier |
Belinda | Franciana Nogues |
Sorceress | Polly Leech |
Second Woman / Spirit / First Witch / Witch | Sophia Hunt |
Second Witch | Rita Fernandez |
Sailor | Salvador Villanueva Zuzuárregui |
Orchestra | Netherlands Chamber Orchestra Musicians of Il Caravaggio |
Chorus | DNO Young Baroque Voices |
| ... | |
Music | Henry Purcell |
|---|---|
Text | Nahum Tate |
Conductor | Camille Delaforge |
Dramaturgy | Jasmijn van Wijnen |
Costumes | Jojanneke Gremmen |
Lights | Peter van der Sluis |
Chorus Master | Edward Ananian-Cooper |
| ... | |
Story
Act 1
The palace of Queen Dido in Carthage. In response to her affliction, Dido’s confidant and sister Belinda convinces her to host Aeneas and his companions, who have arrived in the African city from Troy, after sea winds diverted their ships there. The Trojan hero accepts the warm welcome given to him by Dido and arranges a hunt for the queen’s benefit. Aeneas immediately falls in love with Dido.
Act 2
A sorceress gathers her witch companions to ruin Dido and Aeneas’s love. One of the witches appears before Aeneas dressed as Mercury and tells him that he must continue his journey to Italy on the order of the gods. From within their caves, the witches hear the fanfares announcing Dido and Aeneas passing through the forest. The witch-es cause a storm to thwart the young couple’s plans. Aeneas and Dido have returned to the city, driven there by the storm. Mercury then appears before Aeneas and, since he does not realise that the god is actually a witch, he prepares to obey the supposed god’s orders, despite regretting having to leave Queen Dido.
Act 3
The first scene shows us Aeneas’s departure. The sailors ask to leave Carthage and never return. The witches secretly spy on their prepa-rations, glad that their plans have succeeded.
In Dido’s palace, Aeneas tells the queen his plans and expresses his grief to her. She stands, heartbroken, beside Belinda. Dido feels betrayed and when Aeneas tries to back down, the queen’s pride gets the better of her and she orders Aeneas to leave. Once she is alone, Dido weeps next to Belinda. Before dying of grief, the Queen of Carthage asks those present not to forget her. The chorus sings a lament for the death of Dido and calls upon Cupid always to watch over her tomb.
PHOTOS
