"Dido and Aeneas"
(Purcell)
Act I
Overture
Scene 2, The Cave
Act II
The Grove
Act III
The Ships
Cast
Chorus of Courtiers, People, Witches and Sailors
Charles Kennedy Scott's A Capella
Singers
The Boyd Neel String Orchestra
Harpsichord, Bernhard Ord
Conducted by Clarence Raybould
The Opera under the direction of Hubert J. Foss
Purcell's opera, "Dido and Aeneas", has often been called the one flawless masterpiece of music-drama composed by an Englishman; in design and conception it was far in advance of its age. In his preface to "Dido and Aeneas" Purcell expressed views showing it was no accident that it was 'a perfect opera'. "Dido" was written to a libretto by Nahum Tate, then Poet Laureate, for performance at a boarding school for young ladies at Chelsea. There was a notable revival of the opera in 1895, two hundred years after Purcell's death, and it has since been frequently performed in England and quite lately in Germany.