Composed by Henry Purcell in 1689, Dido and Aeneas is a masterpiece of Baroque music. The libretto, by Nahum Tate, is inspired by Canto IV of Virgil's Aeneid, but takes a number of liberties to create a work of rare dramatic intensity.
In an hour of music, the characters, puppets of capricious gods, celebrate the union of the two lovers, before witches deceive Aeneas into believing that the god of gods, Jupiter, has ordered him to return to the road of exile. Devastated, Dido succumbs to her grief in a sublime lament.
Le Rouge Gorge, a venue that is both rock and baroque, invites us to transpose Dido and Aeneas. Better still, it imposes it: here, it's the venue that shapes the staging.
Didon runs the Carthage, a bar-cabaret she opened after arriving in France. She organizes numerous parties there, assisted by Belinda and Melinda, the two dancing sisters. One evening, she meets a passing guest by the name of Aeneas, which means "terrible".
In love with Dido, he stays.
Changes of time and place do nothing to stop the infernal machine in motion: their love will lead to the closure of the Carthage...
Le Rouge Gorge, a venue that is both rock and baroque, invites us to transpose Dido and Aeneas. Better still, it imposes it: here, it's the venue that shapes the staging.
Didon runs the Carthage, a bar-cabaret she opened after arriving in France. She organizes numerous parties there, assisted by Belinda and Melinda, the two dancing sisters. One evening, she meets a passing guest by the name of Aeneas, which means "terrible".
In love with Dido, he stays.
Changes of time and place do nothing to stop the infernal machine in motion: their love will lead to the closure of the Carthage...
