Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Introduction:
Purcell’s opera is one of the classic works which includes singing of the highest level together with instrumentation which also shows the composer’s skill at high level opera production. The opera which deals with Ancient Greece is based on a libretto by Nahum Tate who adapted the story of Dido and Aeneas in Carthage in quite a masterful way also including parts which could be said to be tribute to marriage between two monarchs with an allegory to the present manage between Queen Mary and Prince William.
Purcell’s score is richly imbued with several fine arias amongst which one finds the famous and legendary ‘When I Am Laid to Earth’ which perhaps is one of the most beautiful in the entire repertoire of opera. Other arias are also very important and balance the score of the opera in a brilliant way with Purcell extremely skilful at including pressure points in the score which can be said to be crucial in its interpretation.
Recorded history:
Dido and Aeneas has been part and parcel of the recorded repertoire for several decades and has been resurrected several times in performance. Perhaps one of the most famous versions is the one recorded on Nimbus with Kirstin Flagstad and the Boyd Neel Orchestra where the fine shades of this soprano blend quite magically with the musical fare on offer. The next great soprano to perform the work was Dame Janet Baker together with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears who accompanied quite magically with the English Chamber Orchestra. Here we can perhaps observe the splendid nuances and style of Purcell’s music more clearly and beautifully with the arias turning themselves out very well indeed.
Although both these performances come from a traditionalist mentality, this does not mean that Dido cannot be heard in period performance. The Decca/L’Oiseau Lyre recording featuring Emma Kirkby and Christopher Hogwood is also one of the finest available at present and although recorded some thirty years ago still holds pride of place amongst the period performances. Kirkby is an excellent soprano throughout and she nurtures the musical arias with a gut wrenching theatricality and sense of drama which is disarming. Hogwood’s sense of theatre and drama is also very much prevalent and full of life and the sound of the Academy of Ancient Music is truly top notch throughout.
The plot:
The plot focuses on the relationship between Dido and Aeneas who lived in Carthage a few centuries before Christ. There are lot of allegorical themes in the plot which also has a certain element of drama in it. However the main episodes are the death of Dido which is treated with a certain amount of respect as well as the episodes which demonstrate the grandeur of Carthage.
The performance:
The programme delivered before the performance was adequate enough listing a number of performers as well as the structure of the opera. It was well structured and one could follow what was going on quite clearly even if one did not have a complete knowledge of the work in question. I enjoyed reading the plot summary on the programme which was clear and succinct. I was very much familiar with the work having heard performances from Flagstad, Kirkby and Dame Janet Baker which also happened to be in my own personal collection.
Reflections on opera excerpts
The overture was the first part which I shall analyse here. The conductor moved the work along very quickly with the strings appearing very much in unison with the performance. At some phases I would have preferred a more sedate tempo to be used in the overture but otherwise the work was executed at a rather high standard. Here one could detect the best notions of the overture which is comparable to Britten or to other great conductors such as Geraint Jones. The rhythmic characteristics of the Overture came out quite singularly clear and were full of life especially in the closing parts.
The other part which I chose is the aria ‘Shake the Cloud off from your Brow’. This is perhaps the pressure point of the opera and demonstrates the intense relationship between Dido and Aeneas, possibly one of the most beautiful pieces in the entire opera repertoire. The soprano who sang the work in question was slightly wobbly at some stages but she held her line in an excellent manner also demonstrating a control over her voice which was quite disarming.
Closing Remarks
The conductor was very much on the ball in the work and demonstrated a rich understanding of the work especially in the final moments which are always so crucial to the performance of such a work. The size of the orchestra was adequate enough with a good sized string section and a fine brass section although sometimes there were some deficiencies in the high notes of the brass.
As a performance, I felt it was very much attuned to the work in question and although not on the levels of other classic interpretations, it was a fine one as well. Some aspects of the work such as the fast tempo in the overture were slightly shocking and caused surprise but otherwise everything went smoothly enough.
Bibliography:
Boyden, Matthew et al., "Dido and Aeneas", The rough guide to opera 3rd edition, Rough Guides, 2002. ISBN 1858287499
Darrell, R.D., The Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music, The Gramophone Shop, Inc., 1936
Harris, Ellen T., Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Oxford University Press, 1990. ISBN 0193152525
Holman, Peter, Henry Purcell (Oxford, 1995).
