"Thy hand Belinda! Darkness shades me. On thy bosom let me rest. More I would but death invades me... death is now a welcome guest" (Dido, Act III)
In the middle of their 2022 Season, Concordia Ensemble will explore what it means to find and loose love, as well as the concept of destiny and who it is controlled by. Widely regarded as the first English opera, Purcell skilfully combines English taste with the rising operatic genre from Italy. A classic work of 17th Century English music, Dido and Aeneas is based on the mythical story of the aforementioned lovers and their fall from grace.
This production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas will be paired with a new prologue written by young Australian composer Ben Fan, to original text by Nahum Tate.
This production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas will be paired with a new prologue written by young Australian composer Ben Fan, to original text by Nahum Tate.
About the work...
A 17th Century work, and the only known opera written by Henry Purcell, Dido and Aeneas marks a new and revolutionary step in English music of the period. In the opera, Purcell draws heavily upon the Italian operatic tradition, using recitative to convey portions of the libretto written by Nahum Tate.
No first performance date for the work, or purpose of composition can be established. Some scholars believe that it was first performed at Josiah Priest's Girls' School in London in the late 1680s, whereas others uphold that it was written for the royal court. Nevertheless, the first recorded performance occurred at the aforementioned school in 1689. The musical structure drew many ideas from an earlier work, Venus and Adonis, written by Purcell's mentor John Blow. The three act structure and elements of some solos also appear to be derived from Francesco Cavalli's Didone. It also takes derivations from the English Masque tradition, which Purcell had written several works in. The famous story, drawn from Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid has been retold through several significant operas throughout the centuries. The basic premise is that Dido and Aeneas are in love, Aeneas is then tricked away by the powers of a witch. Dido is rightfully devastated by the abandonment and elects to take her own life. Dates and LocationOctober 1st, 3pm & 7.30pm
October 2nd, 3pm Pitt St Uniting Church, Sydney. Pitt St Uniting Church is a short distance from Town Hall Station, and bus services located at the QVB. Parking is not available on the premises of Pitt St Uniting Church, however, there are several paid garages nearby. Creatives
Conducted by Omid Moheb Zadeh
Ashly Zhang & Jamie-Lee Xu, Repetiteurs New Prologue Composed by Ben Fan |
Not familiar with the work? Check out this production from the USA!
Cast
Dido | Ella Orehek-Coddington
Aeneas | Matthew Gaskin Belinda | Molly Ryan Second Woman | Xiaoxu Aleta Shang Second Woman | Grace Pfab Sorceress | Lucas Tamayo Blandon First Witch | Sarah Cherlin Second Witch | Sophie Blades Spirit | Michael Burden Drunken Sailor | Wesley Yu (Evening, October 1st) Drunken Sailor | Thomas Bruce (Matinee, October 1st) Staged Chorus & Understudies | Grace Pfab (First Witch), Ella Briggs (Second Witch), Hazel Bingon (Sorceress), Isabella Rahme. Pit Chorus | Priscilla Yuen, Jackson Tuynman Understudies | Elizabeth Cooper (Belinda), Manja Globevnik (Second Woman), Sarah Cherlin (Spirit) |