Dido and Aeneas

"Remember me, but ah! forget my fate"

Acclaimed for its insightful and unique interpretations of the lesser-known works from the Baroque period, Pinchgut Opera relished the opportunity to put its signature stamp on one of the best-known operas in the repertory.

Dido and Aeneas is the perfect operatic gem. Few stories capture the essence of tragic love, heroism and destiny as intensely as the tale of the Trojan hero Aeneas and the noble Queen Dido, the founder of Carthage.

It is this star-crossed love story, laden with the tumultuous interplay of duty, passion and fate, that Purcell, a master of music for the theatre, chose as the subject of his only true opera.

Australian star soprano Valda Wilson (Theodora, 2016) returned to Pinchgut in her role debut as Dido, with acclaimed baritone David Greco as Aeneas. Joining them was Kanen Breen (Ormindo, 2009; Platée, 2021) inhabiting the snarling malice of the Sorceress, and the ever-eloquent Sara Macliver (The Fairy Queen, 2003; Orfeo, 2004; Bajazet, 2015) as Belinda.

Dido and Aeneas features some of the most beautiful Baroque music of all time, including the final lament of Dido, darkly brooding and famously tragic, which was aptly featured in the final season of the HBO smash-hit series The White Lotus.

Musically resplendent and thrillingly fierce, Pinchgut’s presentation of Dido and Aeneas was a standout.

DIDO'S LOST PROLOGUE

Much of the music of Dido and Aeneas is missing … the entire prologue and many dances were cut from later sources.

In the spirit of providing a backstory and context, award-winning playwright and renowned Australian actor Kate Mulvany wrote us a new spoken-word prologue that helped us freshly understand Purcell’s original setting.

Artistic Director Erin Helyard is also replaced many of the lost dances with other Purcell works.