Dido and Aeneas at Sydney Opera House
About the Event
Immerse yourself in the stunning architecture of Sydney's breathtaking Sydney Opera House for the ultimate concert set to awake your understanding of opera.
Dido & Aeneas is a love story for the ages. Bringing together exhilarating acrobatics and extraordinary music, this production is an opera for today.
Aeneas is a hero caught between his destiny and desire. Dido is the woman he must leave behind. For these star‐crossed lovers, fate and romance are on a collision course, and when the smoke clears, Dido’s heart is found among the wreckage.
Purcell’s early opera gave the world one of the most poignant scores ever written and laid the foundation for every opera that came after.
Now, experience the power of Dido & Aeneas in a new staging from Circa Artistic Director Yaron Lifschitz, which sets “a new benchmark for opera production in Australia ” (Limelight). Expect jaw‐dropping physical feats from Circa’s talented ensemble alongside stunning voices in this follow‐up to last year’s sell‐out success Orpheus & Eurydice. Libby McDonnell’s glamorous costumes are chic creations of luxe materials and strong silhouettes, and Lifschitz has created a stark, slick set.
It’s always a delight to welcome a rising star home, and we have two in this production: tenor Nicholas Jones is currently a principal artist with Opéra national de Paris and mezzo soprano Anna Dowsley returns to sing Dido after great success overseas. Hear her perform as the doomed Queen of Carthage and sing her famous lament ‘When I am Laid in Earth’.
Practical Information
Performed in English with English surtitles.
Please note
This production contains depictions of nudity and haze effects.
Cast / Production
CONDUCTOR
Erin Helyard (13, 15, 22, 25, 29 Mar)
Chad Kelly (18 & 20 Mar)
DIRECTOR & STAGE DESIGNER
Yaron Lifschitz
COSTUME DESIGNER
Libby McDonnell
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Matthew Marshall
DIDO/SORCERESS
Anna Dowsley
AENEAS
Nicholas Jones
BELINDA
Jane Ede
SECOND LADY
Sian Sharp
FIRST WITCH/SPIRIT 'MERCURY'/SAILOR
Kanen Breen
Opera Australia Orchestra
Opera Australia Chorus
Circa Ensemble
Erin Helyard appears courtesy of Pinchgut Opera.
