DIDO AND AENEAS / HENRY PURCELL

Dido and Aeneas is the very first dramatic work of the “British Orpheus” – Henry Purcell. The circumstances of the creation of this three-act opera to Nahum Tate’s libretto are uncertain: firstly, the original manuscript is lost. It is also unclear whether the premiere of the opera in 1689 in Chelsea wasn’t, in fact, a resumption of a previously staged production. It is certain, however, that in the 20^th century this work gained due fame and became one of the most frequently recorded operas from the era before Mozart.

The premise for one of the most brilliant works of English Baroque is the story of the tragic love of Dido and Aeneas, told in Virgil’s Aeneid. Henry Purcell managed to translate the ordeal of the characters and the whole range of intense emotions into the language of music. In this small musical form, the composer conveys the rich symbolism of the ancient story about the power of love and fate.

It is not surprising that Dido and Aeneas is considered the first English national opera. In a perfectly constructed libretto, the world of Greek mythology meets the English tradition. The Mediterranean setting is complemented by drawings of characters such as witches and sorcerers, characteristic of British and Irish folk tales. In the music itself, one can distinguish a whole range of forms and techniques used in Europe at that time, as Purcell strives for musical diversity, perfectly integrating French and Italian patterns with English folklore.

MUSIC DIRECTOR KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA

DIRECTOR, LIGHTING DESIGN NATALIA KOZŁOWSKA
SET DESIGN MARLENA SKONECZKO
CHOREOGRAPHY ANNA KORBOLEWSKA
CHORUS MASTER JAKUB SZAFRAŃSKI
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK
STAGE MANAGER TATIANA HEMPEL-GIERLACH

CAST

PROLOGUE

PHOEBUS MICHAŁ JANICKI
FIRST NEREID JUSTYNA RECZENIEDI
SECOND NEREID IWONA LUBOWICZ
VENUS OLGA PASIECZNIK
SPRING MARTA BOBERSKA
FIRST SHEPHERDESS AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
SECOND SHEPHERDESS JOANNA TALARKIEWICZ
HE GRZEGORZ ŻOŁYNIAK
SHE MARTA SCHNURA

OPERA

BELINDA MARTA BOBERSKA
DIDO OLGA PASIECZNIK
SECOND WOMAN  AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
AENEAS  MICHAŁ JANICKI
SORCERESS DOROTA LACHOWICZ
FIRST WITCH JUSTYNA RECZENIEDI
SECOND WITCH  / SPIRIT  IWONA LUBOWICZ
SAILOR JAKUB A. GRABOWSKI

DANCERS ANNA KORBOLEWSKA, JOANNA LICHOROWICZ-GREŚ, SŁAWOMIR GREŚ

THE CHORUS OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA

THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA

CONDUCTOR  KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA

Duration: 1 h 10 mins (no intermission)

The seats in the auditorium are not numbered.

Performance in the original language version.

PLEASE NOTE: the entrance to the Royal Theatre in Łazienki Park is located in Agrykola street.

One hour before the performance as well as for an hour after it is finished, the audience can use the electric cart running between the Royal Theater and the Łazienki Gate at the corner of Myśliwiecka / Agrykola streets.