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Under the musical direction of third year student Hannah Berridge, Henry Purcell’s tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, received an exciting performance yesterday lunchtime in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall.
The 15-voice chorus were the backbone of the production, and sang with a blended sound and an awareness of the light and shade in the music. The five piece instrumental ensemble, led by Andrew Passmore at the harpsichord, played with sensitivity to the vocalists, particularly in solo arias. The tempi of some movements failed to settle immediately, but the ensemble’s rich sound and awareness of historical performance style more than made up for this.
Of the limited solo roles in the opera, Jessica Main, as Dido, stole the show. She sang throughout with a clear and beautiful tone, and her final aria, ‘Dido’s Lament’, was sung with poignant sincerity. Dramatically, this scene was very effective, with the image of Dido being carried dead from the stage lasting. Other notable performances included Adam Treadaway’s comic interlude as the drunken sailor, and the duet between Belinda and the Second Woman, performed by Hannah Berridge and Anna Page. Christopher Palmer was also well placed in the role of Aeneas.
While the production worked well musically, it was less strong dramatically. Heightened dramatic effect could have been achieved through more extensive use of props and costumes, and other non-musical devices. The scenes involving the sorceress and witches could have been far more sinister and menacing; as it was, the ‘evil’ nature of these characters was only hinted at. Programme notes would also have been advantageous in explaining the subtleties of the plot. Nonetheless, it was a musically successful and most enjoyable production.
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