Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is among the most frequently performed Baroque operas. It is short, requires a modest cast, and, though not rich in intricate drama or psychological depth, it more than compensates with its sublime music. Forty years ago, the Israeli Opera marked its founding with a production of Dido and Aeneas. Now, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, the company returns to the same work—this time with far grander sets and staging. The result is certainly impressive, though at times somewhat bloated and slow-motion in its presentation.
The set, designed by director and choreographer Stefano Poda, evokes a shoreline, with sand scattered across the stage and a pool of water at the rear. Enclosing walls suggest the ruined remains of a once-splendid city—an image that foreshadows Carthage’s eventual fate. At first, Dido, queen of Carthage, appears alone on the sand, but soon the statues of men and women embedded in the walls come to life and surround her. These living statues—male and female dancers, bare-chested and covered in body paint—add a raw, elemental presence. Primeval lighting heightens the impact of this striking tableau.
The opera opens in medias res: Dido (mezzo-soprano Anat Czarny) is already despondent, having fallen in love with the Trojan prince whose fleet has docked in Carthage, yet convinced he will abandon her. When Aeneas (baritone Oded Reich) arrives, he vows eternal devotion, but the three uprooted cypress trees suspended from the ceiling quietly suggest he is unlikely to keep his promise.
The trees are repeatedly lowered from the ceiling and raised throughout the performance. This brought to mind a previous Israeli Opera production by Poda—Faust (2017)—for which he designed a massive symbolic ring that similarly rose and descended from the stage. In both cases, the repeated up-and-down motion gradually loses its visual impact.
In the second act, set in the Sorceress’s cave, a door to the underworld opens at the center of the stage, flooding the set with red light as the Sorceress (mezzo-soprano Shay Bloch) and her companions emerge. It is a powerful vision that energizes the production. Nahum Tate’s libretto does not explain why the Sorceress hates Dido or seeks to harm her, and Poda chooses not to impose an explanation—here, she simply embodies pure evil and destruction.
This is followed by the grove scene, in which people in white gowns carry white peacocks and black panthers captured in the hunt. Again, it is a gorgeous tableau, but the slow-motion staging goes on for too long.
When Aeneas is told by the Sorceress’s elf (tenor Eitan Drory), disguised as Mercury, that he is commanded to leave Dido and fulfill his destiny of founding a new Troy on Latin soil, a transparent plastic construct descends from the ceiling. Its intended symbolism is unclear—perhaps a futuristic New Troy—but to my eyes, it is an eyesore.
As for the singing on opening night, it was uniformly flawless. Oded Reich was commanding as ever in the role of the Trojan prince who does not seem as heartbroken as he claims to be, and he made full use of his beautiful baritone voice. Anat Czarny was captivating as the despondent Dido, and her rendition of the famous lament, “When I am Laid in Earth,” was both gorgeous and moving. The standout, however, was the glorious chorus, conducted by Itay Berckovitch, which has never sounded better.
Conductor Gerd Amelung also did a marvelous job with the orchestra, bringing out a clear, luminous Baroque tone. I am not sure whose decision it was to incorporate the march from Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary—a completely different work—but it fit beautifully.
The Israeli Opera Tel-Aviv-Yafo האופרה הישראלית תל-אביב-יפו
Baroque Opera
Music by Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695)
Director, choreographer and designer: Stefano Poda
Conductor: Gerd Amelung
Sung in English with Hebrew and English surtitles
Cast includes Anat Czarny, Oded Reich, Shay Bloch, Daniela Skorka
Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Sung in: English
Surtitles: Hebrew and English