Didon and Énée

See also: Didon (homonymy)

Didon and Énée Z. 626 (original title: Dido and Aeneas ) is a opera baroque in three acts writes in spring 1689 by the type-setter English Henry Purcell, on a booklet of Nahum Tate.

From one approximately one hour duration, it was represented for the first time in 1689 with the Boarding School for Girls , with Chelsea, London.

It is the only work of Purcell really considered as an opera, the others ( The Fairy Queen , King Arthur , etc) being rather Semi-opera S or masks intended to be played Théâtre from the presence of récitatifs. The form of Didon and Énée connects it with the Venus and Adonis of John Blow.

Echoing the tradition virgilienne of the Énéide , Didon and Énée is regarded as a chief of work of the Baroque music.

Characters

Synopsis

Act I

  • In Carthage (palate of the Didon queen)

Belinda, the confidante of the Didon queen, exhorts it to find the smile in the aria " Shake the cloud from off your brow" .
Indeed, the latter is overpowered because she likes in secrecy Énée, prince de Troie and cannot acknowledge its torment under fear to disappoint its people (aria " Ah Belinda I amndt prest with torment" ).
Belinda then suggests in Didon marrying Énée, this last not being insensitive to its charms, more especially as such an alliance would ensure prosperity and peace for the empire.
The courtiers take again in chorus the remarks of Belinda, and Didon, filled, accepts the proposal of Énée and succumbs to the love.

Act II

  • Scene 1: A cave.

The Magician, queen of the witches, launch a call to her subjects, beings malfaisants, in order to work out a plan to make fall Didon.
It decides to make pass one of its subjects for Mercure, the envoy of the Gods, so that Énée leaves Didon to go to achieve its destiny, to build a new city in Italy.
The witches are delighted by this plan machiavelic in the duet " Goal 'era we this perform" .

  • Scene 2: A forest.

Didon, Énée and their court walk and praise the beauties of surrounding nature until the moment when a storm bursts, created by the malefic witches. All hurry to return to the château.
Énée, remained only, sees appearing the lure of the Magician who presses it to leave Carthage. It is then pulled about between its love for Didon and the divine order.

Act III

  • the port of Carthage.

The sailors prepare the departure (" How away fellow sailors! "). Énée announces in Didon that it must leave it by having. It rejects it, it then decides to face the anger of the gods to remain with it. Outraged that he thought of leaving it, it pushes back it again and orders to him from to go away. Once party, it gives itself death in the poignant lament " When I amndt laid" , where she asks Belinda to remember her but to forget her destiny.

Program

  • Movt. 1. Overture

Act I

  • Movt. 2. A. Aria, " Shake the cloud from off your brow"

  • Movt. 2. B. Chorus, " Banish sorrow, banish care"
  • Movt. 3. Aria and Ritornello, " Ah! Belinda, I amndt prest with torment"
  • Movt. 4. Duet (dialog), " Objection increases by concealing"
  • Movt. 5. Chorus, " When monarchs unite"
  • Movt. 6. Trio (dialog), " Whence could so much virtue spring?"
  • Movt. 7. Duet and Chorus, " Fear No danger"
  • Movt. 8. Trio (dialog), " Royal See, your guest appears"
  • Movt. 9. Chorus (dialog), Cupid only throws the dart"
  • Movt. 10. Aria, " Yew not for mine"
  • Movt. 11. Be a prelude to and Aria, " Pursue thy conquest, love"
  • Movt. 12. Chorus, " To the hills and the vales"
  • Movt. 13. Dance - The triumphing dance

Act II

  • Movt. 14. Be a prelude to and Aria, " Wayward sisters"

  • Movt. 15. Chorus, " Harm' S our delight"
  • Movt. 16. Aria, " The queen off Carthage, whom we hate"
  • Movt. 17 - 20. Chorus and Dialog, " Ho Ho Ho! "
  • Movt. 21. Chorus, " In our deep vaulted cell"
  • Movt. 22. " Echo dance off the furies"
  • Movt. 23. Ritornello
  • Movt. 24. has - B. Aria and Chorus, " Thanks to thesis lonesome vales"
  • Movt. 24. C. Dance - Gittar ground
  • Movt. 25. A. Aria, " Oft she visits this lone mountain"
  • Movt. 25. B. Ritornello, " In Dance to entertain Aeneas by Dido' S Women"
  • Movt. 26. Aria, " Behold, upon my bended spear"
  • Movt. 27. Aria and Chorus, " Haste, haste to town"
  • Movt. 28. Duet (dialog), " Stay, Prince"

Act III

  • Movt. 29. Be a prelude to and Aria, " Like away, fellow sailors"

  • Movt. 30. Dance - The sailor' S dance
  • Movt. 31. Trio (dialog), " See the flags and the streamers curling"
  • Movt. 32. Aria, " Our next motion"
  • Movt. 33. Chorus, " Destruction' S our delight"
  • Movt. 34. Dance - The witches' dance
  • Movt. 35. A. Aria, " Your counsel all is urg' D in vain"
  • Movt. 35. B. Trio (dialog), " See, madam where the Prince appears"
  • Movt. 36. Chorus, " Great minds against themselves conspire"
  • Movt. 37. Aria, " Thy hand Belinda, darkness shades me"
  • Movt. 38. Ground, Aria and Ritornello, " When I ugly amndt in earth"
  • Movt. 39. Chorus, " With drooping wings"
  • Movt. 40. Epilog, " All that we know the angels C above"

Partition

The partition was written for String quartet (violin I, violin II, viola and low continuous) and Clavecin. The stress is rather laid on the vocal parts, doubled most of the time by the intruments.
The opening begins adagio then accelerates until allegro allowing the sequence of the first aria, " Shake the cloud" , sung by Belinda.

The pieces of the witches are really remarquables : sung in a nasalized way, they give to the partition a true freshness but also a comic side, far from the image which one has today of the traditional baroque.

In spite of stripped an enough writing, the dramatic intensity is indeed present, in particular in the arias " Ah Belinda" , " Oft she visits" , " Your counsel, all is urg' D in vain" (récitatif) and " When I amndt laid" .

Great outdoors

  • "Ah Belinda"
  • " Oft she visits"
  • " Your counsel, all is urg' D in vain" (récitatif)
  • " When I amndt laid"

Discography

Didon and Enée, Herve Niquet and the Concert of sacred music, Glossa, 2001.

Related bonds

External bonds

  • Partition of work

  • Booklet

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