DIDO AND AENEAS / HENRY PURCELL

Dido and Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas) is the first dramatic work by the 'British Orpheus' - Henry Purcell. However, the circumstances surrounding the composition of this three-act opera to a libretto by Nahum Tate are shrouded in the darkness of history. The original manuscript has been lost. There is also a lack of certainty as to whether the opera's premiere in Chelsea in 1689 was not in fact a revival of an earlier production. What is certain, however, is that in the twentieth century the work gained its due fame and became one of the most frequently recorded operas from before the Mozart era.

The basis for one of the most brilliant works of the English Baroque is the story of the tragic love of Dido and Aeneas, as conveyed in Virgil's Aeneid. Henry Purcell, on the other hand, succeeded in translating the drama of the characters and the diversity of their emotions into the language of sound. In a form that is small in size, the composer accommodates the rich symbolism of the ancient tale of the power of love and destiny.

It is no surprise that Dido and Aeneas is considered the first English national opera. In the perfectly constructed libretto, the world of myth is combined with local tradition. The Mediterranean setting is complemented by drawings of characters (witches and wizards) closer to British and Irish tales, while in the music itself one can find the whole range of forms and techniques current in Europe at the time. Indeed, Purcell takes care of the musical variety, perfectly integrating French and Italian patterns with English folklore.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska.

MUSIC DIRECTION BY KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA

DIRECTION, LIGHTING DESIGN BY NATALIA KOZLOWSKA
SCENOGRAPHY MARLENA SKONECZKO
CHOREOGRAPHY ANNA KORBOLEWSKA
PREPARATION OF THE VOCAL ENSEMBLE KAROL KNAPIŃSKI
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK
STAGE MANAGER TATIANA HEMPEL-GIERLACH
OBSERVER

PROLOGUE BACKGROUND
FEBUS MICHAŁ JANICKI
FIRST NEREID JUSTYNA RECZENIEDI
SECOND NEREID IWONA LUBOWICZ
VENUS OLGA PASIECZNIK
SPRING MARTHA BOBERSKA
FIRST SHEPHERDESS AGNIESZKA KOZŁOWSKA
SECOND SHEPHERDESS AGNIESZKA DRĄŻCZYK
HE GRZEGORZ ŻOŁYNIAK
SHE ALEKSANDRA KLIMCZAK

THE OPERA'S CAST
BELINDA MARTA BOBERSKA
DYDONA OLGA PASIECZNIK
THE SECOND LADY AGNIESZKA KOZOWSKA
ENEASZ MICHAŁ JANICKI
WITCH DOROTA LACHOWICZ
THE FIRST WITCH JUSTYNA RECZENIEDI
THE SECOND WITCH / GHOST IWONA LUBOWICZ
SEAFARER JAKUB A. GRABOWSKI

DANCERS SŁAWOMIR GREŚ, ANNA KORBOLEWSKA, JOANNA LICHOROWICZ-GREŚ

VOCAL ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
OLD-TIME INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA

CONDUCTOR KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA