Dido & Aeneas

Although Henry Purcell (1658-1695) wrote other works for the stage, Dido & Aeneas is his only opera, first presented at Mr. Josias Priest's Boarding School for Girls in London in the year 1689. Inspired by Virgil's Aeneid, the story follows the Trojan warrior Aeneas, who becomes involved with Dido, queen of Carthage, but later forsakes their love when duty calls him to Rome. Although this presentation is true to the original Nahum Tate libretto, all semblance ends there. While the original opera featured dance numbers as simple interludes, here the intent is to provide a fusion of dance, singing, and music that forms an integral part of the storytelling, as dancers, chorus, and soloists share the stage, with performers from both the music and dance disciplines in principal roles, lending the production an air of mass confusion. The prologue features an onstage tank, in which the dancers surface for air as they replicate underwater the adventures of the shipwrecked Trojans, while the remainder of the story is played out against a backdrop featuring stark, prison-like markings. The ugly mishmash of costumes include everything from underwear and formal dress to bizarre combinations of attire (and partial nudity). The orchestra of Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under Georg Kallweit—with mezzo soprano Aurore Ugolin as Dido, and baritone Reuben Willcox as Aeneas—captures the beauty of the English baroque music, but the choreography of award-winning Sasha Waltz is both jarring and at odds with this sedate genre. Presented in PCM stereo, this should be considered for serious dance collections, but is not recommended elsewhere. Aud: C, P. (J. Reed)