Educational Media Reviews Online

Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas is considered to be the first great opera by a native-born English composer. This splendid Baroque opera, written in 1689, contains much great music, particularly, Queen Dido's haunting soprano aria, "When I am Laid in Earth." The opera has few characters and is brief, lasting less than an hour.

The plot of Dido and Aeneas is taken from a section of the Roman poet Virgil's great epic, The Aeneid. Briefly, the story revolves around the tragic love affair between the Trojan adventurer, Aeneas, and Dido, Queen of Carthage. While the Carthaginian Court celebrates the union of the two lovers, Aeneas is tragically summoned by Jupiter (Jove) to Italy to ultimately found the Roman Race. A disconsolate Dido is left alone to commit self-immolation. Where the plot differs significantly from Virgil's story is in the characters of an evil sorceress and malevolent witches who plot the downfall of the lovers.

This Dido and Aeneas is not a conventional opera performance, but a "provocative" dance production by the Mark Morris Dance Group. This means that while the music is from the Purcell opera, the interpretation of the action is by dance. I must admit that I'm not a particular fan of this form of modern dance, being more inclined toward classical ballet.

In this presentation there is considerable "gender-bending" with, for example, Mark Morris playing the dual female roles of Dido and the Sorceress. All the members of the Mark Morris Group wear the same shapeless black costumes, and much of the production is done either in subdued light or before a dark background. No scenery and few props are used. Modernistic Lighting effects differentiate the scenes. Considerable skill is shown in the dance ensembles, and the soloists dance enthusiastically and well. However, I felt that the dancers really didn't convey the story effectively. Some of their movements seemed too artificial, if not downright silly.

I did enjoy the music, which was truly excellent. American mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane was outstanding in her dual roles as Dido and the Sorceress. She has a voice made for Baroque opera, and I look forward to hearing her in other roles. Ann Monoyios, the Belinda, sang beautifully as well. The Tafelmusick Orchestra and Chamber Choir gave a vigorous, well-polished performance.

From a technical standpoint this is a high quality production. Sound was clear and crisp. Although the opera is in English, subtitles are used to enhance understandability. Generally, the camera angles were varied and interesting. The singers were occasionally shown in the foreground while the dancers performed in the background

I believe that this is the only video of Dido and Aeneas currently available in the U.S. It is valuable for that reason alone. The splendid singing in this Canadian production adds to its attractiveness. Despite my personal reservations, modern dance programs will find this a valuable teaching tool. It is suitable for college and university libraries, and for specialized, opera, dance and art collections.