CWRU Music Department presents "Dido and Aeneas"
Harkness Chapel, University Circle
April 03, 2008 - April 04, 2008
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The Case Western Reserve University Department of Music presents a semi-staged version of Henry Purcell's famous opera, "Dido and Aeneas," on Thursday and Friday, April 3 & 4 at 8 pm in Harkness Chapel. The performances, stage-directed by Ellen Hargis and music-directed and choreographed by Julie Andrijeski, are free and open to the public, although tickets are required.
Based on a story from Virgil's Aeneid, the opera tells of the romance between Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan refugee Aeneas. When he and his crew are shipwrecked in Carthage, he and the queen fall in love. However, he is called away to found Rome, and Dido then dies of a broken heart. With a cast that includes a scheming sorceress and her three conniving witches, as well as dancing sailors and courtiers, it's not surprising that this musical drama has remained popular since its début in 1689.
Director Ellen Hargis, an internationally-acclaimed baroque singer, has been a Kulas Visiting Artist at Case Western Reserve University for the past nine years. She has sung baroque opera around the globe and attended the recent Grammy Awards, for the Boston Early Music Festival's production of Lully's Thésée, nominated for Best Opera Recording. Musical direction and original choreography for Dido is by Julie Andrijeski, who has earned international renown for her virtuosic baroque violin playing and her exquisite baroque dancing. Having earned a D.M.A. in Early Music from Case, she is now on the university's Music Faculty, directing the Case/CIM Baroque Orchestra and teaching courses in performance practice and baroque dance.
Recognizing that the original prologue to the opera has been lost, Ms. Hargis has expanded the opera to include a opening set of masques, setting the stage dramatically for the action that is to come. Through the clever use of other appropriate works by Henry Purcell, the cast will introduce the characters and the romance between Dido and Aeneas. This will be the world premiere of this new, expanded realization by Ms. Hargis.
The all-student cast includes graduate and undergraduate students from the Case Early Music program, as well as other students from the Case Music department, the Case/CIM Baroque Orchestra, Dr. Andrijeski's baroque dance class, and others.
Tickets to the performances are free, but must be obtained in advance through the Music Department office (216-368-2400; 201 Haydn Hall, 11118 Bellflower Road).
Harkness Chapel located at 11200 Bellflower Road. It is wheelchair-accessible. For more information, call 216.368.2400.
http://music.case.edu/publicity/index.php?article=didoaeneas
| CWRU Music Department presents "Dido and Aeneas" posted on Tuesday March 18, 2008 |
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© 2008 Plugged In Cleveland - CWRU Music Department presents "Dido and Aeneas" - Harkness Chapel, University Circle
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