Purcell: Dido & Aeneas

Emotional Depth and Evocative Power: The Perfect English Opera La Nuova Musica and its artistic director David Bates present Henry Purcell’s most widely admired work Dido and Aeneas. With Nathum Tate’s libretto based on Virgil’s Aeneid Book IV, Dido and Aeneas is a miniature opera, as well as the only all-sung opera Purcell ever composed. The album is available in Stereo DSD 512, DSD 256, DSD 128 and DSD 64 only at NativeDSD thanks to our signature Higher Rates Program. Constantly juxtaposing different moods, colors, orchestrations, this semi-opera enjoys the popularity for its “tunefulness, evocative power, and […] its conciseness”. The guiding star that David Bates wants to follow for this recording is making sure that Purcell’s Italian, French, and English musical influences are all emphasized – by adding a typically Italian harp to the continuo or by doubling the strings with winds in the French tradition. Dido and Aeneas includes one of the most touching operatic laments “When I am laid in earth”. A cast of first-class singers with strong musical personalities offer an eclectic interpretation together with a chorus that creates a visceral and intrinsically dramatic sound world. Dido and Aeneas is David Bates and La Nuova Musica’s fourth release, after the acclaimed Gluck Orfeo and Euridice (2019) and Handel’s Unsung Heroes (2021), as well as Beauteous Softness (2023) where they joined forces with Tim Mead. Counter-tenor Tim Mead previously released Pentatone’s Handel Messiah (2020) with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. Star tenor Nicky Spence, Fleur Barron, Matthew Brook, Giulia Semenzato all make their Pentatone debut.

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Vocalists Dido - Fleur Barron, Mezzo-Soprano Aeneas - Matthew Brook, Bass-Baritone Belinda - Giulia Semenzato, Soprano Sorceress - Avery Amereau, Alto Second Lady - Hilary Cronin, Soprano Sailor - Nicky Spence, Tenor Spirit - Tim Mead, Countertenor First Witch - Helen Charlston, Mezzo-Soprano Second Witch - Martha McLorinan, Mezzo-Soprano La Nuova Musica David Bates - Artistic Director & Organ Tim Mead - Counter-Tenor Nicky Spence - Tenor Fleur Barron - Mezzo-Soprano Matthew Brook - Bass-Baritone Giulia Semenzato - Soprano Avery Amereau - Alto Hilary Cronin - Soprano Helen Charlston - Mezzo-Soprano Martha McLorinan - Mezzo-Soprano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sRRxPO44s0

Read a detailed review of this album HERE.

The real star is Avery Amereau’s Sorceress – intensely dramatic and frightening, slightly parodic but never over-the-top.