Class 1: "Dido and Aeneas"

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1. Dido and Aeneas. Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (1689) is the earliest English opera still in the repertoire today. Its 38 separate numbers—choruses, arias, small ensembles, dances, and recitative—are mostly quite short; the total running time is only about an hour. But they offer a perfect opportunity to show the building blocks from which most operas are constructed, and the cumulative force of linking all these elements together in sequence. In this particular case, we shall look at two such sequences: the opening in which the roots of the tragedy are established, and the tragic conclusion centered around Dido's aria "When I am laid in earth." rb.

There is a brief synopsis in the handout. Other resources will be posted immediately after class.

Handout Class Script

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VIDEO LINKS

The bad news is that the Royal Opera House production of Dido that we watched in class is available only through Dido's Lament and a brief trailer. The good news is that every other clip played in class is available and listed below; I The even better news (or perhaps TMI?) is that there are a lot of other productions out there on YouTube. Here are a few that especially appealed to me. There are three staging in more or less period style, plus another that is updated to a modern office setting. L'Arpeggiata, the fifth on the list, is known for an unusually bouncy approach to baroque music; the clip below is cued to the start of the opera, but go back for half an hour of additional material that is played almost like rock! Finally, choreographer Mark Morris made the whole opera into a ballet, with himself as Dido; it is an old video, but surprisingly effective.

Versailles. Very elaborate staging in a baroque theatre.
Combattimento Consort. Not a great video, but interesting use of sandpit setting
Modena. Apparently a pandemic production using full auditorium, but in pariod costumes.
Paris Conservatoire. Updated setting to a modern office!
L'Arpeggiata. Semi-staged; see above.
Mark Morris. Danced throughout; see above.

And talking of TMI, I supplemented the two Laments we heard with a few more that are worth watching for different reasons. The first three are pretty much straight. The last one sounds straight, but the whole thing is a marvelous music video with a story told backwards in a modern London setting; do watch it!

Maria Ewing. All that remains of a ultra-lush film of the opera.
Malena Ernman. All that remains of a full production in strict period style.
Joyce DiDonato. In concert; an exquisite performance.
Lea Desandre. In concert with only three players, making for a very transparent performance.
Helen Charlson. Music video, see above.

*Asterisks indicate clips that were played in class.

AS SEEN IN CLASS
	Royal Opera House	* trailer (poor quality video) * Dido's Lament
	Musical excerpts	* Ah, Belinda * Fear no danger to pursue * When I am laid in Earth (Eva Zaïcik & Le Consort) * — my own video of the above (with annotated score)
OTHER COMPLETE PRODUCTIONS
	Versailles	* complete, staged (very elaborate production)
	Combattimento Consort	* complete, staged (sandpit; slightly blurred video)
	Modena	* complete, staged (COVID staging)
	Paris Conservatoire	* complete, staged (updated production)
	L'Arpeggiata	* semi-staged, with prologue (with quasi-rock pre-concert!)
	Mark Morris Dance Group	* complete, as a ballet (Morris himself plays Dido)
OTHER LAMENTS
	Maria Ewing	* aria to the end of the opera (a lavishly-staged film)
	Malena Ernman	* aria and chorus (in period costume)
	Joyce DiDonato	* aria only, in concert (valuable for chamber accompaniment)
	Lea Desandre	* aria only, with three-instruments (Les Arts Florissants)
	Helen Charlson	* video inspired by Coldplay (backwards narrative in London setting)


IMAGES
The thumbnails below cover the slides shown in class, though there may be a few small discrepancies. Click the thumbnail to see a larger image. Click on the right or left of the larger picture to go forward or back, or outside it to close.