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- Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
All performances start at 8:00 pm, except for Sundays and holidays, which are at 7:00 pm
S Y N O P S I S
ACT I
Carthage. Queen Dido's palace. Aeneas, a brave Trojan hero and son of the goddess Aphrodite, has taken refuge in Queen Dido's court following the fall of Troy. He was fleeing Italian soil, where divine fate had enabled him to found his new nation. Queen Dido mourns her husband and has promised to remain faithful to the memory of him. Nevertheless, her handmaid Belinda encourages her to accept the love that Aeneas declares for her, as she thinks he is the ideal partner for her queen: their marriage would consolidate the power of Carthage and would contribute to restoring the splendour of Troy some day. The courtiers, caught up by Belinda's optimism, praise the future union of Dido and Aeneas with song. When Aeneas makes his appearance in court, the Queen of Carthage receives him with sincere and heartfelt love, to the courtiers' joy.
ACT II
The cave of the sorceress. The sorceress calls on the witches to plot the end of Dido and her kingdom. They make a spell in which the spirit of the sorceress, disguised as the god Mercury, will appear to Aeneas and order him to leave Carthage. Once the witches' coven has come to an end, the witches leave the cave, after conjuring up a storm that will ruin the day for Dido and Aeneas.
A forest close to the palace. The lovers are enjoying a pleasant day hunting until Dido notices the sudden appearance of clouds and lightning. Belinda hastily suggests that the queen should return to the palace immediately to shelter from the storm. Aeneas, who follows Dido's entourage, is surprised by the appearance of the pretend Mercury in the middle of the rain, who exhorts him (by order of a very angry Jupiter) to leave that very night to revive the splendour of Troy on Italian soil. Obliged to comply with the gods' wishes, Aeneas is heart-broken that he will have to leave the queen, and he blames the gods.
ACT III
At the port of Carthage, Aeneas and his sailors prepare to set sail. The witches gather at the port and boast about their victory, while announcing that Aeneas will also be the victim of their wickedness during the voyage. Dido and Belinda enter. Aeneas tries to exonerate himself, arguing that his leaving is the gods' wishes. But Dido does not want to hear any more explanations. The simple fact that he has planned to leave her has broken her heart. After Aeneas leaves, the distraught queen kills herself. In a peaceful atmosphere, the cupids mourn her death.
Opera in three acts • Music by Henry Purcell • Libretto by Nahum Tate, based upon his tragedy Brutus of Alba, or The Enchanted Lovers and on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid • Premiere: Chelsea (London), 1689, Josias Priest's girl's school.
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Conductor |
Dido Spirit Sailor Second woman / First witch Second witch
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New producction
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía
Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana
Cor del Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo
Juan Luis Martínez, chorus master
9th, 11th May 2012 · 8:00 pm
13th May 2012 · 7:00 pm
Teatre Martín i Soler
S Y N O P S I S
ACT I
Carthage. Queen Dido's palace. Aeneas, a brave Trojan hero and son of the goddess Aphrodite, has taken refuge in Queen Dido's court following the fall of Troy. He was fleeing Italian soil, where divine fate had enabled him to found his new nation. Queen Dido mourns her husband and has promised to remain faithful to the memory of him. Nevertheless, her handmaid Belinda encourages her to accept the love that Aeneas declares for her, as she thinks he is the ideal partner for her queen: their marriage would consolidate the power of Carthage and would contribute to restoring the splendour of Troy some day. The courtiers, caught up by Belinda's optimism, praise the future union of Dido and Aeneas with song. When Aeneas makes his appearance in court, the Queen of Carthage receives him with sincere and heartfelt love, to the courtiers' joy.
ACT II
The cave of the sorceress. The sorceress calls on the witches to plot the end of Dido and her kingdom. They make a spell in which the spirit of the sorceress, disguised as the god Mercury, will appear to Aeneas and order him to leave Carthage. Once the witches' coven has come to an end, the witches leave the cave, after conjuring up a storm that will ruin the day for Dido and Aeneas.
A forest close to the palace. The lovers are enjoying a pleasant day hunting until Dido notices the sudden appearance of clouds and lightning. Belinda hastily suggests that the queen should return to the palace immediately to shelter from the storm. Aeneas, who follows Dido's entourage, is surprised by the appearance of the pretend Mercury in the middle of the rain, who exhorts him (by order of a very angry Jupiter) to leave that very night to revive the splendour of Troy on Italian soil. Obliged to comply with the gods' wishes, Aeneas is heart-broken that he will have to leave the queen, and he blames the gods.
ACT III
At the port of Carthage, Aeneas and his sailors prepare to set sail. The witches gather at the port and boast about their victory, while announcing that Aeneas will also be the victim of their wickedness during the voyage. Dido and Belinda enter. Aeneas tries to exonerate himself, arguing that his leaving is the gods' wishes. But Dido does not want to hear any more explanations. The simple fact that he has planned to leave her has broken her heart. After Aeneas leaves, the distraught queen kills herself. In a peaceful atmosphere, the cupids mourn her death.
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