Dutch National Opera

Dido and Aeneas in concert

Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695)

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Photo: Hugo Thomassen

Dates

25 April - 6 May 2025

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage & Tour

Running time

1:00, no interval

Tickets

€ 28

Photo: Hugo Thomassen

Early music performed by a new generation of artists

In partnership with Opera Zuid and Nederlandse Reisopera, Dutch National Opera has developed a new concert experience. Together, the companies will be touring the Netherlands with a Purcell programme centred around the short opera Dido and Aeneas. This music from more than 300 years ago is interpreted by a new generation of opera singers under the leadership of the young Baroque specialist Camille Delaforge.

Early music performed by a new generation of artists

Henry Purcell’s gripping drama, based on Virgil’s The Aeneid, tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his love affair, thwarted by witchcraft, with the Carthaginian queen Dido. As the sails of the ship carrying Aeneas away from Carthage disappear as dots over the horizon, we hear Dido’s famous lament. “Remember me, but forget my fate”, she sings while she goes to her death, calling on those around her to remember everything about her except her tragic end.

Linked to Saul and the Witch of Endor

The programme also includes Saul and the Witch of Endor (1693), another work by Purcell in which witchcraft plays a major role. The Biblical king Saul, who has issued a ban on fortune-telling, calls on a clairvoyant witch to tell him what future lies in store for him, and discovers his end is near.

Talent development

Dutch National Opera, Opera Zuid and Nederlandse Reisopera are once again joining forces to create opportunities for talent development. Led by up-and-coming conductor Camille Delaforge, the talented young performers of Dutch National Opera Studio, together with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and the DNO Young Baroque Voices, consisting of a promising group of young conservatorium students, will be tackling Purcell’s enthralling Baroque repertoire. Delaforge will be using musicians from her own Ensemble Il Caravaggio for the basso continuo.

Performance information

Opera in three acts (concert performance)

Sung in English

Libretto Nahum Tate

Musical direction Camille Delaforge
Stage direction Rosemary Joshua
Dramaturgy Jasmijn van Wijnen
Vocals Dutch National Opera Studio

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

Musicians of Il Caravaggio

DNO Young Baroque Voices

Co-production with Nederlandse Reisopera and Opera Zuid

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Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

The Netherlands Philharmonic and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra have been the main orchestral partners of Dutch National Opera since they were established in 1985. The two orchestras, with the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam as their main base, are regarded as among the best opera orchestras in the world.

Photo: Anna van Kooij

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

The Netherlands Philharmonic, with chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti at the helm, concentrates on the large-scale symphonic repertoire while the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra is a smaller, more intimate orchestra with 25 to 45 musicians led by concertmaster and artistic director Gordan Nikolić. Both orchestras present their own programmes and regularly work with internationally renowned guest conductors and soloists, as well as with the new generation of up-and-coming top musicians. The orchestras perform at numerous venues, bringing people together through their music and giving both classical music aficionados and new audiences a musical experience to remember. With their welcoming home base NedPhO-Koepel, located in east Amsterdam’s Indische Buurt neighbourhood, the orchestras are firmly embedded in the community.

In the 2024 – 2025 season, the Netherlands Philharmonic will be performing the operas Rigoletto, Peter Grimes, Die Fledermaus and Die Frau ohne Schatten while the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra can be heard in Idomeneo, How Anansi freed the stories of the world and the Opera Studio production Dido and Aeneas.

Introduction

An introduction offering background information to enhance your theatre experience will take place 45 minutes before the performance. The introductions, held in Dutch, are free and require no reservation — simply present your ticket. They are held in the Souterrain.