Andrea Sanguineti

Even though Henry Purcell was not the first to stage opera in the English language, "Orpheus Britannicus", as he was affectionately known shortly after his death, is the most famous representative of this genre alongside Georg Friedrich Handel of the island can be viewed. In doing so he has with Dido and Aeneascomposed only one opera. The other works are "only" so-called semi-operas, in which the singing is usually reserved for the secondary characters, while the main characters articulate themselves in the spoken speech. Dido's famous lament at the end of the third act, "When I am laid in earth", rightly led to his only opera outshining everything else and not being forgotten. It is not possible to reconstruct exactly when Purcell's work was created. The first recorded performance was in 1689 at Josias Priest's Boarding School for Young Gentlewomen in Chelsea. But it is unlikely that Purcell composed the opera for the occasion. The elaborate musical arrangement suggests that the piece was written as a divertissement for King Charles II. was intended, who after his return from exile in France, like his cousin Louis XIV, promoted the arts to perpetuate his power. For a long time it was also believed that Purcell gave the opera to the new King William III in the autumn of 1689. dedicated. But that seems unlikely today, as it would certainly not have been appropriate to celebrate the coronation with a story about a prince who abandons his beloved and drives him to suicide.Nahum Tate's libretto refers to Virgil's Aeneid, but has some differences from ancient mythology. In Virgil, the Trojan Aeneas, on his odyssey to Italy, first lands in Carthage with Queen Dido and, through his love for her, forgets for a while his real destiny of looking for a new home in Italy. But then the messenger of the gods, Mercury, appears to him and warns him to leave Dido again. Obeying the divine command, Dido curses his lover and swears eternal hatred between Carthage and Aeneas' future home, Rome. In Purcell's opera, a sorceress is introduced who is jealous of Dido's happiness in love and therefore wants to destroy the queen. Mercury is a transformed spirit sent by the sorceress to order Aeneas to leave Dido. As with Virgil, Aeneas decides to obey the divine directive, but changes his mind in the face of the suffering Dido. Now it is the queen herself who is urging him to leave. After Aeneas has left Dido, Dido breaks down in her great lament "When I am laid in earth" and bids farewell to life without cursing the beloved as in Virgil.Ben Baur's directing team is primarily interested in the relationship between Dido and the sorceress and draws the two characters visually as one person. In the same costume and with a glowing halo on their heads, Jessica Muirhead as Dido and Bettina Ranch as the sorceress are almost indistinguishable from each other. In a way, the sorceress is the dark side of Dido, who is looking for her own downfall. Considering that in Act III Dido rejects Aeneas' offer to stay with her and urges him to leave Carthage, the text can be interpreted in this way. After all, Dido swore eternal loyalty to her deceased husband Sychaeus, which she broke with her love for the Trojan. This could explain why she feels the need to destroy herself after the love relationship. In Baur's production, the entourage is set up in parallel with Dido and the sorceress. Dressed in long black robes, Giulia Montanari, Christina Clark and the opera chorus are the queen's companions in the first act, who advise her to have a liaison with the Trojan prince carry hands. Dido's sister Belinda is part of this crowd in Baur's production and does not stand out individually. and differ in the second act as witches visually only by a skull, which they carry in their hands. Dido's sister Belinda is part of this crowd in Baur's production and does not stand out individually. and differ in the second act as witches visually only by a skull, which they carry in their hands. Dido's sister Belinda is part of this crowd in Baur's production and does not stand out individually. image to enlarge Aeneas (Tobias Greenhalgh) between Dido (Jessica Muirhead, right) and the Sorceress (Bettina Ranch, left) The stage is kept very dark and equipped with several chairs on which the choir sits at a distance. After all, we are still in the corona pandemic. The flooring is reminiscent of burnt ashes. When Dido lies down on the floor after her lament in the third act, Belinda and the 2nd wife let the covering trickle down on her. A parallel image can already be found in the second act, when Aeneas enters the stage with a skeleton and lies down next to the skeleton. Aeneas is drawn anything but attractive visually. With his blood-smeared, naked torso, he seems quite raw and brutal and doesn't fit into the clinically pure world of Dido. Somewhat disgusted, the 2nd woman hands him a bucket and a rag in the first act to clean herself. But the blood cannot really be washed off. Aeneas' incursion into this gloomy world is accompanied by harsh lights that shine onto the stage from the background. An older and a young extra appear with him in the same appearance. This is said to be probably his father Anchises and his son Ascanius. The sailor, on the other hand, who appears in the third act shortly before the Trojans depart with a satirical song about the unfaithfulness of the sailors, wears a black robe like the Carthaginians. He seems to have already assimilated through his time in Africa before setting sail again with Aeneas. This is said to be probably his father Anchises and his son Ascanius. The sailor, on the other hand, who appears in the third act shortly before the Trojans depart with a satirical song about the unfaithfulness of the sailors, wears a black robe like the Carthaginians. He seems to have already assimilated through his time in Africa before setting sail again with Aeneas. This is said to be probably his father Anchises and his son Ascanius. The sailor, on the other hand, who appears in the third act shortly before the Trojans depart with a satirical song about the unfaithfulness of the sailors, wears a black robe like the Carthaginians. He seems to have already assimilated through his time in Africa before setting sail again with Aeneas. image to enlarge Dido (Jessica Muirhead) ends her life. Musically, the performance is on a good level. Jessica Muirhead has a full and round soprano as Dido. Her interpretation of the famous Lamento in the third act represents a musical highlight. In this scene, Muirhead underscores the vulnerability of the queen, who, unlike in Virgil and Berlioz's famous setting, is far from having any thoughts of revenge at the end. With very soft tones, she bids farewell to the world and moves people to tears. Tobias Greenhalgh equips the role of Aeneas with a powerful baritone. Bettina Ranch creates the sorceress, Dido's alter ego, with rich mezzo-soprano and intensive playing. Her interplay with Muirhead is particularly impressive when both come into action with Aeneas in the second act. Giulia Montanari and Christina Clark convince as Dido's entourage and witches with a lovely soprano. Montanari's role as Belinda fades a bit in Baur's production, as she is visually indistinguishable from the rest of the entourage. The opera choir, rehearsed by Patrick Jaskolka, pleases vocally and in terms of acting. With the Essen Philharmonic, Andrea Sanguineti creates a light, radiant baroque sound from the moat, so that there is deserved applause for those involved. CONCLUSION Ben Baur and his directing team find an interesting reading of the piece, which is convincingly implemented by the ensemble.

Thomas Molke