Dido and Aeneas is Purcell’s only opera. Others, like King Arthur and The Fairy-Queen, though musically superb, are appropriately labelled ‘semi-operas’. Dido probably dates from the last years of the reign of James II and may have some allegorical significance in the context of the coming storm over James’s fondness for the Catholic faith.
This production by the invaluable Ensemble Orquesta (EO) is described by its director, Marcio da Silva, as ‘minimalist’. It may be so in dramatic terms, but the effect of concentrating the audience’s attention on the core of the drama and on the marvellous music, in the tight space of the Arcola’s basement studio, is anything but minimal. This performance shows all the virtues for which the Grimeborn festival is rightly celebrated.
The story is drawn from Virgil’s Aeneid and tells of the ill-fated love affair between Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas. Dido, initially reluctant, is persuaded to accept an offer of marriage from Aeneas. But a wicked sorceress who is plotting the downfall of Dido sends one of her minions, disguised as the god Mercury, to tell Aeneas he must leave Carthage. Aeneas at first agrees to what he thinks is the divine plan but then changes his mind. Too late! A heartbroken Dido tells Aeneas to go. The Queen then dies of grief.
On press night, Dido was sung by Helen May – she shares the role with Rosemary Carlton-Willis, who sang the Sorceress. On other nights they swap roles, as determined by an audience vote before the start. One of EO’s regulars, May was spellbinding, and not only when singing. I have to say that her performance of the famous lament was one of the best I can remember, the melody delicately ornamented in a way that did full justice to the subtlety of Purcell’s deceptively simple score.
Although the director’s way of telling the story relies on simple choreographed movement and a deliberate absence of dramatic fireworks, May’s facial and body language conveyed the despair she sees approaching. And I am tempted to go again to see Carlton-Willis sing Dido too – she was a splendid Sorceress, almost the bad fairy whispering lies into Dido’s ear.
As her attendant witches, Emma Humann and Priscilla Fong were very impressive, conjuring up the demonic world of the Sorceress’s grudge. And as Belinda, Sofia Galvao was a constant presence at Dido’s side, her grief at her powerlessness in the face of Aeneas’s betrayal all too real. And as Aeneas, da Silva has the musical power and the dramatic heft to embody the wanderer who destroys Dido.
A fine group of Baroque specialist musicians, under the direction of Predrag Gosta, is packed into a small space at the back of the ‘stage’ – the usual continuo group of strings and harpsichord, but with the addition of theorbo, lute and recorder. The musical style of Dido and Aeneas calls for sprightly transitions between solos, short choral pieces and instrumental virtuosity. EO Baroque provided all that and more.
The production certainly demands close attention from the audience. In the absence of the histrionics often associated with Baroque operatic tragedies, the story is stripped down to its bare essentials. But in the hands of da Silva and his team, this approach pays large dividends, and both the singing and playing are of the highest quality. I can’t wait to see how they approach The Magic Flute later in the festival.
Composer: Henry Purcell
Libretto: Nahum Tate
Music Director: Predrag Gosta
Director: Marcio da Silva
Performers incl: Helen May, Rosemary Carlton-Willis, Marcio da Silva, Sofia Galvao
Running time: 75 minutes
Dates: until 15 August
Photos: George Veys