A stunning performance filled with comedic highs and tragic lows, breathing new life into an oft-performed classic of early English opera.
Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is a classic of early English opera – written in the 1680’s, this is one of the earliest operas composed in England. This semi-staged performance by I Fagiolini, with guest artists Katie Bray and Frederick Long in the title roles, blends playfulness and deep emotion to bring this dramatic story to life. Purcell’s piece only spans about one hour, so there’s a lot of dramatic ground to cover as we see Dido resist and then give in to her attraction to Aeneas and then quickly meet a tragic end as the relationship falls apart. Katie Bray was regal and heartbreaking as Dido–a performance made all the more impressive by the fact that she had stepped into the role as a last-minute cover. She carried herself with immense grace; her voice was jewel-like on the sustained tones of Dido’s slower laments and filled with sweeping emotion on the more dramatic passages. Frederick Long was magnetic as Aeneas, with a rich, velvety tone and a captivating stage presence. Both artists are clearly at home in the world of Baroque music, with a perfect blend of emotion and technical artistry suffusing their performances.
The rest of the I Fagiolini ensemble delivered a skilful and gorgeously sung performance to round out scenes with the Carthaginian court, rowdy sailors, and scheming witches, swapping between roles with ease. Founder and director Robert Hollingsworth clearly has a knack for bringing a fresh energy to early opera; even the few children in the audience were raptly attentive throughout. Hollingsworth also selected three other Purcell pieces to serve as a prelude to the opera: ‘Mark how readily,’ a classically jolly trio; a ‘Pavan in 4 parts,’ a beautifully melancholy piece for strings which foreshadowed the dramatic melodies of the opera; and ‘The sparrow and the gentle dove,’ sung by Rory Carver with a rich tone and beautifully delicate ornamentations. Elspeth Piggott’s lovely, agile voice shone as she recounted the myth of Acteon during the court’s hunting scene as well, and Rowan Pierce, Martha McLorinan, Tania Murphy, and Sam Gilliatt completed the cast with vibrant energy and skill.
The instrumental ensemble offered an equally enchanting performance. Purcell’s pieces often gave Persephone Gibbs and Mika Takahashi moments to showcase their skills on the violin, and Rachel Byrt and Sarah McMahon on the viola and bass violin matched them to create a powerfully moving sound. Eligio Quinteiro on the chitarrone, Catherine Pierron on the harpsichord, and Robert Hollingsworth (on double-duty) on the organ added a complex Baroque texture to the music. It’s always a treat to see a semi-staged performance with a smaller ensemble on stage, rather than hidden in the pit as they are in many traditional theatres, as it allows the instrumental musicians to enjoy their well-deserved spotlight alongside the vocalists. All in all, this restaging of a classic tale captured a true rollercoaster of emotions and captivated newcomers and expert audiences alike.
Well this sounds very tempting, I wish I knew where it’s being performed.
When I sang Aeneas in our school production in 1978, the whole opera took 40 minutes so I’m impressed this production spun it out to an hour. Perhaps Dido exhibited Olympic standard breath control with her Lament.