Dido and Aeneas

One wonders if Henry Purcell could have foreseen what startling relevance his 1689 opera “Dido and Aeneas” would have today. Dido and Aeneas, both widowed, are refugees of war. Following the murder of her husband, Tyrian princess Dido flees to North Africa, where she becomes the founder and first queen of Carthage. Aeneas, in turn, leaves his burning city after the violent death of his wife in the Trojan War, to wander the seas for many years in search of a place to build a new empire. The two meet in Carthage and fall madly in love, but sadly their affair is ill-fated and the shadows of their past soon catch up with them. A “spirit” later reminds Aeneas of his original mission and he departs Carthage in haste, leaving Dido deserted.  As a result, she commits suicide by falling on a sword that Aeneas had given her.

Purcell and his librettist Nahum Tate loosely based the opera on Book IV of Virgil’s famous “Aeneid”. They however removed the various gods from the cast of characters and instead added witches and a sorceress, akin to Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. In doing so, the love between Dido and Aeneas (as well as its subsequent collapse) is not affected by capricious gods, but develops more organically as a psychological, spiritual process – an inner struggle with guilt, responsibility and affection. As with many theatre pieces of the 17th century, the sorceress represents a mirror image of Dido’s darker side and embodies a type of counter-figure who elevates evil, destruction and war to the norm and postulates the reassessment of all values.

As was customary in Purcell’s time, the role of the sorceress in Thomas Hengelbrock’s production is also performed by an actress. Johanna Wokalek further expands the character by employing her own text, inspired by Busenello and Virgil. Kate Lindsey (in the role of Dido) is one of the most expressive singers of her generation and a regular guest at the leading opera houses of the world. Glorious English baritone Benedict Nelson, along with soloists from the Balthasar Neumann Choir – Katja Stuber, Anne Bierwirth, Marion Eckstein, Agnes Kovacs and Hermann Oswald – complete this exceptional ensemble cast.

Presented in cooperation with the Rheingau Music Festival