Dido and Aeneas [Opera] Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

• Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695): Overture:
• 1 Overture 02:04
• Act One:
• 2 Act I: Shake the cloud from off your brow (Belinda, Chorus) 01:08
• 3 Act I: Ah! Belinda, I am press'd with torment (Dido) 06:40
• 4 Act I: Grief increases by concealing (Belinda, Dido, Chorus) 00:50
• 5 Act I: Whence could so much virtue spring? (Dido, Belinda, 2nd Woman, Chorus) 04:22
• 6 Act I: See, your Royal guest appears (Belinda, Aeneas, Dido, Chorus) 00:53
• 7 Act I: Cupid only throws the dart (Chorus) 00:40
• 8 Act I: If not for mine, for Empire's sake (Aeneas, Belinda) 01:09
• 9 Act I: Guitar Chaconne 02:32
• 10 Act I: To the hills and the vales (Chorus) 01:03
• Act Two:
• 11 Act I: The Triumphing Dance 01:26
• 12 Act II: Wayward sisters (Sorceress, 1st Witch, Witches) 02:12
• 13 Act II: The Queen of Carthage, whom we hate (Sorceress, Chorus) 00:40
• 14 Act II: Ruin'd ere the set of sun? (Witches, Sorceress, Chorus) 02:26
• 15 Act II: In our deep vaulted cell (Chorus) 01:19
• 16 Act II: Echo Dance of Furies 01:16
• 17 Act II: Ritornelle 00:50
• 18 Act II: Thanks to these lonesome vales (Belinda, Chorus) 02:59
• 19 Act II: Guitar Passacaille 03:05
• 20 Act II: Guitar Dance: Oft she visits this lone mountain (2nd Woman) 01:47
• 21 Act II: Behold, upon my bended spear (Aeneas, Dido) - Haste, haste to town (Belinda, Chorus) 01:22
• 22 Act II: Stay, Prince! and hear great Jove's command (Spirit, Aeneas) 02:38
• 23 Act II: Groves' Dance: Then since our charms have sped (Chorus) 01:31
• Act Three:
• 24 Act III: Come away, fellow sailors (1st Sailor, Chorus) 02:17
• 25 Act III: See, the flags and streamers curling (Sorceress, 1st and 2nd Witches) 01:02
• 26 Act III: Our next motion (Sorceress) 01:16
• 27 Act III: The Witches' Dance 01:22
• 28 Act III: Your counsel all is urg'd in vain (Dido, Belinda, Aeneas) 07:47
• 29 Act III: Great minds against themselves conspire (Chorus) 01:00
• 30 Act III: Thy hand, Belinda; darkness shades me (Dido) 05:05
• 31 Act III: With drooping wings ye cupids come (Chorus) 04:51
• Total Runtime 01:09:32

Info for Dido and Aeneas [Opera]

Dido and Aeneas is an opera by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell, from a libretto by Nahum Tate. It was first performed in the spring of 1689 and hence is given catalogue number Z. 626. It comprises three acts and lasts about an hour.

It is based on a story from the fourth book of Virgil's Aeneid, of the legendary Queen of Carthage Dido and the Trojan refugee Aeneas. When Aeneas and his crew are shipwrecked in Carthage, he and the queen fall in love. However, Aeneas must soon leave to found Rome. Dido cannot live without him and awaits death.

This work is somewhat problematic, since no score in Purcell's hand is extant, and the only seventeenth century source is a libretto, possibly from the original performance. The difficulty is that no later sources follow the act divisions of the libretto, and the music to the prologue is lost. Part of this stems from the practice of the time of using such entertainments to add spice to another piece, such as a play, breaking up the original work and only using parts of it, rather than putting it on as a complete work.

It is a monumental work in the Baroque opera, remembered as one of Purcell's (and perhaps England's) foremost operatic works. It may be considered Purcell's only true opera, as compared with his other musical dramatic works such as King Arthur, as well as the first English opera. It owes much to John Blow's Venus and Adonis, including structure and overall affect.

The Choir of the Enlightenment
is formed of a group of professional singers, many of whom are soloists in their own right. In recent years the choir has appeared with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at British and European festivals, as well as regularly performing with them as part of their annual London concert series at the Southbank Centre.

The choir has taken part in many of the OAE’s recordings, including J S Bach cantatas bwv 205 and 114 and Purcell’s Odes for Queen Mary, both with Gustav Leonhardt, and Mozart’s Così fan tutte with Sir Simon Rattle, recorded live at Symphony Hall Birmingham. In July 2000, the choir and orchestra performed Bach’s B minor Mass on the 250th anniversary of his death. This concert, which was part of the bbc Proms Festival, was broadcast live on bbc Radio 3 and on bbc Television.

During recent seasons the Choir of the Enlightenment has performed Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas directed by Richard Egarr at the bbc Proms and at the Utrecht Festival; Charpentier’s David et Jonathas to celebrate the tercentenary of his death, (conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm) and has also taken part in performances of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and his version of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. The choir took part in the OAE’s 21st Birthday Celebrations, Tim Carroll’s production of Dido and Aeneas, Bach’s St John Passion with Mark Padmore, Handel’s Belshazzar at the bbc Proms, directed by Sir Charles Mackerras, Haydn’s The Return of Tobias, conducted by Sir Roger Norrington and more recently, a performance of Haydn’s Creation conducted by Sir Mark Elder.

Booklet for Dido and Aeneas [Opera]