"DIDO & AENEAS" - HENRY PURCELL
by "The Athens Singers"
April 2008

Purcell’s opera Dido & Aeneas is the first English “grand” opera, where there is no speech, only music.
As a court composer, Purcell found himself with little work to do once William & Mary came to the throne
in 1689, so he turned to writing music for the theatre. In only five years he wrote music for 45 stage productions.
The first known performance of Dido & Aeneas was at a girls’ school near London in 1689, though it is likely
that it had been used as a private court masque as early as 1680, hence it would have been written much earlier
than his other theatrical works. Indeed, all the other works are only semi-operas or accompaniments to plays.
            The opera is structured in three acts, with five scenes. There was a long orchestral prologue, which has been
lost leaving only the overture. Dido’s two arias are masterpieces of using a ground-bass, whereby the cello repeats a
motif throughout the piece, while the soloist sings a beautifully varied melody above it. These arias also provide a frame
for the whole work, appearing at the beginning and the end. The role of the chorus is interesting because it is continuously
present on stage, ready to comment on the story, rather like the chorus of the ancient Greek tragedy. There are also dances,
which will be presented in this performance in a simple modern form. In short, it is our hope that you will experience this
masterpiece of Baroque theatre in a form which is staged simply, so as to enhance the wonderful music.
                                                                                                                    Roger Tilley