Royal Opera

April 2009

Dido and Aeneas was presented at the Royal Opera house as the first of a double bill with Acis and Galatea. This second opera will be reviewed by another of the Primi Divi, so I won’t attempt to comment on the production myself, but I will very briefly give my views on the operas’ success in being performed together.

It was, as always, a very great pleasure to see these operas, and they do make a very interesting contrast. Both have a tragic end, yet, whilst Dido and Aeneas gives us barely a happy moment throughout the whole opera, Acis and Galatea provides many lighter, more cheerful interludes. I expected the two to be an rather effective pairing – not least as they are both presented as celebratory, on the 350th anniversary of Purcell’s birth and the 250th of Handel’s death.

Unfortunately, the two maybe did not seem an ideal pairing in these performances. The situation bears some small similarity to the difficulty which is explored in the first act of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Although, of course, Acis and Galatea is certainly not a comedy, the ending of Dido and Aeneas is so strikingly moving that the very different mood of Acis and Galatea cannot but have a jarring effect, even after some twenty minutes of interval.

I must admit though that placing Acis and Galatea in the first half of the evening would most probably not have been any more successful. In this instance, Dido might perhaps seem a little less admirable in contrast with Galatea (although her music is, of course, extraordinarily moving, and Sarah Connolly gave a very fine performance). Galatea does bear her loss with rather more dignity than Dido - Aeneas, after all, might well return – and grasps every moment of happiness she possibly can. Dido does, one cannot help but observe, look on gloomy side. Having said that, I cannot think of a more suitable companion for either opera. I would like to see Dido paired with John Blow’s Venus and Adonis but, in practice, I fear the similarities may prove too great. And, as I have said already, any opportunity to see Dido and Aeneas or Acis and Galatea, particularly as staged productions, must always be most heartily welcomed

The decision to perform the two operas in the main auditorium was something of a surprise, as the intimacy of Dido and Aeneas (and the locations of the original performances) suggest that the Linbury Studio would provide an ideal venue. The simplicity of Hildegard Bechtler’s sets made the main stage seem larger than ever. The action of the opera is mostly internal, and this might have been more strongly expressed in a smaller venue. However, the main auditorium was easily filled, and one can only guess at how many performances would be needed in the Linbury to allow all interested patrons to attend. While one might have felt slightly more distant – literally, and (consequently, to some extent) figuratively - from the characters, it lessened one’s involvement in the story probably only marginally.

Both Dido and Aeneas and Acis and Galatea both featured dancers from the Royal Ballet. I’m most certainly no expert on ballet, but whilst Wayne McGregor’s choreography did look very beautiful, its modernity was a little unsettling in Dido and Aeneas. Perhaps this is because, in my ignorance, I have a tendency to associate dancing with happiness – although I have always found the dance sequences in Yevgeny Onegin, for example, to illustrate the turbulent emotions of the characters perfectly, and I would venture to suggest that none of the central characters are particularly happy during Act 2 of that opera.

Sarah Connolly, in the role of Dido, was making her Royal Opera debut. The ROH can perhaps be forgiven for neglecting her thus far as Miss Connolly is best-known for her interpretations of early works, and even Handel has only been given a limited showing at Covent Garden (although Miss Connolly’s repertoire includes acclaimed performances of Mozart and Richard Strauss roles), but one hopes fervently that she will be invited back to the opera house in the not-too-distant future. Miss Connolly’s performance of the title role was extremely moving and beautifully sung – perhaps all the more so because it was not an outwardly energetic performance: indeed, it was understated, introspective, and yet full of intensity. Surely, there must be a case for performing Dido and Aeneas on its own, as its power can be – and was, on this occasion – just as shattering as many much longer operas.

Lucy Crowe was unable to sing the role of Belinda at this performance due to a throat infection. This was a great disappointment, as I’m sure Miss Crowe would have given an excellent performance, but one can only applaud her for taking care of her voice, and, of course, hope that she is now fully recovered. In her place was Simona Mihai, a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists’ Programme. Miss Mihai’s singing was very lovely, and the lightness of her voice was ideal for the role of Belinda. She also offered a very likeable interpretation –cheerful, but without once grating on the nerves or giving the impression of insensitivity towards Dido – and, like all the Royal Opera’s understudies, seemed entirely comfortable with the production.

Four more Young Artists appeared in this production: Anita Watson as the Second Woman, Eri Nakamura and Pumeza Matshikiza as the Witches, and Ji-Min Park as the Sailor. Miss Watson and Miss Nakamura both gave performances of a very high standard; Miss Matshikiza and Mr Park have a darker tone of voice than is typically associated with early music, but both captured the style extremely well. Dido and Aeneas is not an opera many would describe as ‘enjoyable’, but the Witches’ and Sailor’s scenes do come close.

Aeneas was performed by Lucas Meacham, who has an attractively smooth baritone. Aeneas is not the most strongly developed of characters, but Mr Meacham invested him with a considerable amount of charisma. Sara Fulgoni was quite terrifying as the Sorceress, whilst counter tenor Iestyn Davies, singing from offstage as the Spirit, sounded appropriately unearthly. Christopher Hogwood conducted the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in a musically astounding performance.

Barry Tone

primi-divi at hotmail.co.uk