Best of Händel, Dido and Aeneas

Best of Händel / Dido & Aeneas – George Frideric Handel / Henry Purcell

Contemporary | Opera

Language: English

Surtitle: Hungarian, English

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including one interval

Best of Händel: 50 minutes

Interval: 30 minutes

Dido & Aeneas – Act I: 20 minutes

Dido & Aeneas – Act II: 20 minutes

Dido & Aeneas – Act III: 20 minutes

Henry Purcell’s epic masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas has to do with the Trojan War. But what is even more important than the historical background of this hour-long little gem is love – as Dóra Barta, the director of the production highlights it, “Humanity has long known that if there is something you can die of, Love is certainly such a thing. Whether it is happy or not, returned or unrequited, one thing is sure: it is dead serious business. The tragic-ending romantic affair enfolding between the queen of Carthage and the Trojan hero was made into a grand classic of universal cultural history by Virgil, but it was the thirty-year-old Henry Purcell whose music made its heroes rise to the stars, among which they have been shining with never fading light for three and a half centuries now.”

The compositions of Georg Friedrich Händel, who spent most of his life in England and whose works, aside from Messiah, are rarely performed at the Opera House, create an authentic Baroque atmosphere ahead the tragic love story of the Trojan prince and the of Carthage, the most significant work by an outstanding figure of English early music, Henry Purcell.

Parental guidance: The performance is not recommended for children under 12 years of age.

Synopsis

Act I

Under the rule of Dido, the queen of Carthage, who is in possession of great creative power, the city grows and prospers. Nevertheless, she has been consumed by melancholy for some time, and she is unsure if she can find peace ever again. What could be wrong? After all, the empire has never been so fortunate. Belinda, the queen's lady-in-waiting, suspects the reason: Dido has fallen in love with Aeneas, the Trojan warrior enjoying their hospitality after fleeing to Carthage following the fall of Troy. Perhaps even Dido fears of admitting the truth to herself, being afraid of loss and pain, being afraid of weakening as a leader if she succumbs to her emotions. However, the ladies of the court encourage her: it would be beneficial politically if Troy and Carthage were united. Moreover, Aeneas also seems to be in love with Dido. When the hero appears, Dido first gives him the cold shoulder, but later she cannot control her emotions and surrenders herself to love, while a never-ending doubt starts a certain internal destruction in her soul.

Act II

Scene 1
Happiness is never easy: dark shadows appear, the Sorceress can no longer bear to look upon the success of the empire and Dido's happiness. Therefore, she decides to put an end to both. He calls her witches for help and shares her plan with them: the evil spirit appearing in the image of Mercury, the messenger of the gods will let Aeneas know that he must set out immediately. This will cause Dido to despair and die of her pain, and Carthage will be consumed by flames. The witches improve the excellent plan with another idea: they will conjure up a storm around the lovers while they are hunting, thus separating them in order to carry out the evil deed.

Scene 2
Dido and Aeneas happily indulge in the pleasures of hunting, but Dido hears the thunder, which puts an end to their fun. They return to the palace, but Aeneas is halted by Mercury, i.e. the evil spirit of the Sorceress, who tells him that he must set out tonight to establish the new Troy in Italy. Aeneas has no other choice than to obey the divine command, but he has no idea yet how to tell his lover...


Act III

Scene 1
The sailors bid farewell to their casual lovers and prepare for the long voyage. The Sorceress and her witches are satisfied, their plan is going well. The Sorceress comes up with another idea: she will make Aeneas die in the sea during a storm to complete the guile.

Scene 2
In her palace, Dido feels that her initial fear was well-founded. The thing she was afraid of, the reason she did not want to succumb to love has come to pass. Even Belinda cannot comfort her. Aeneas comes to say goodbye, but Dido has already given up on this relationship. Seeing her desperation, Aeneas would stay refusing the divine (or what he believed to be divine) command, but Dido is adamant. She no longer wants to continue this relationship. After Aeneas leaves, the once strong queen weakens, collapses, there is nothing left for her but death, since nothing will harm her in her grave, she will not have to face similar torments to what this love brought her. The rest say goodbye to her hoping that the god of love himself will watch over her grave.

Program and cast

Conductor: Augustin Szokos

Conductor: Dániel Erdélyi

Dido: Kinga Kriszta

Aeneas: Zsolt Haja

Belinda: Ildikó Megyimórecz

Sorceress: Andrea Szántó

First Enchantress: Mária Farkasréti

Second Enchantress: Diána Ivett Kiss

Sailor: Artúr Szeleczki

Spirit: N. N.

Handmaid: N. N.

Featuring the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Director and Coreographer: Dóra Barta

Set designer: Ildi Tihanyi

Costume designer: Andrea Kovács

Lighting designer: Zoltán Katonka

Dramaturg and Hungarian translation by: András Almási-Tóth

Musical director: László Bartal

Chorus director: Gábor Csiki

Composer: Henry Purcell

Librettist: Nahum Tate

Musical intermezzi: Bence Farkas