DIDO AND AENEAS / HENRY PURCELL

21 January 2022, Friday
Time 19:00
The Royal Theatre in the Old Orangery in the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw

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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 20th 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

DIRECTED BY NATALIA KOZŁOWSKA
SET DESIGN MARLENA SKONECZKO
CHOREOGRAPHY EDGAR LEWANDOWSKI
CHORUS MASTER JAKUB SZAFRAŃSKI
STAGE MANAGER TATIANA HEMPEL-GIERLACH

 

CAST

PROLOGUE

PHOEBUS MICHAŁ JANICKI
FIRST NEREID MAŁGORZATA GRZEGORZEWICZ-RODEK
SECOND NEREID IWONA LUBOWICZ
VENUS ANETA ŁUKASZEWICZ
SPRING MARIA ZŁOTEK
FIRST SHEPHERDESS AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
FIRST SHEPHERDESS JOANNA TALARKIEWICZ
HE KRZYSZTOF ŁAZICKI
SHE MARTA SCHNURA

 

OPERA

BELINDA MARIA ZŁOTEK
DIDO ANETA ŁUKASZEWICZ
SECOND WOMAN  AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
AENEAS  MICHAŁ JANICKI
SORCERESS MAŁGORZATA BARTKOWSKA
FIRST WITCH  MAŁGORZATA GRZEGORZEWICZ-RODEK
SECOND WITCH  / SPIRIT  IWONA LUBOWICZ
SAILOR JAKUB A. GRABOWSKI

DANCERS OF VARSAVIA GALANTE
EDGAR LEWANDOWSKI
ALEKSANDRA ANDRUSZKIEWICZ
ALEKSANDRA PAWLUCZUK

THE CHORUS OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA

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

CONDUCTOR, HARPSICHORD 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.

We kindly encourage you to read the rules of participation in cultural events organized by the Polish Royal Opera:

  • If you are not feeling well, are ill, or had contact with an infected person – stay at home.
  • Please, take a face mask with you. On entering the Theatre building, you are obliged to wear a mask covering your mouth and nose.
  • At the entrance to the building, please have your temperature taken.
  • Disinfect your hands after entering the Theatre building.
  • Please remember to sign the Participant Declaration. If possible, please bring the printed and signed declaration with you, if not – fill it in in the Theatre, in the area shown by the staff.
  • Take the seat assigned to you by the staff.
  • Please come earlier – latecomers will not be allowed into the auditorium.

We care about the safety of our Guests!

  • Disinfectants are available at the entrance to the building.
  • At the entrance to the building, staff may take your temperature.
  • The common spaces and sanitary rooms are disinfected regularly.
  • Only 30% of the seats in the auditorium will be available. Persons vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 who voluntarily show a QR code confirming their vaccination with a double dose of the vaccine on the day of the event do not count towards the limit.

Should you have any questions, we are at your disposal on site of the event or at the phone number +48 500 309 424.

 

The Regulations of Ticket Sale and Participation in Artistic Events Organized by the Polish Royal Opera.

The Declaration of the Participant of an Artistic Event Organized by the Polish Royal Opera in Warsaw