Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas
Presented by The Harvard Early Music Society
Stage directed by Giselle Ty
Music directed by Jessica Rucinski
December 5, 6, 7 • 8pm
In the Agassiz Horner Room
10 Garden Street
Harvard University
Dido and Aeneas on Facebook
For tickets, visit boxoffice.harvard.edu
$12 regular admission • $8 students
Experience the legendary tale of doomed love through the concentrated emotion of Purcell’s music. Based on Book IV of Vergil’s (also, Virgil) Roman epic, The Aeneid, this tragic opera traces the charged romance between Dido, the Queen of Carthage and Aeneas, the Trojan prince destined to become the founder of Rome.
The marriage of one of the most iconic texts in classical literature and some of the most enduring and cherished moments in the history of western classical music beautifully capture the lovers’ yearning to find an immortal love and all of the obstacles that they must fight against in order to hold on to it. In a world where duty, fate, grief, and supernatural forces disrupt and challenge the power of love, love cannot conquer all.
The Harvard Early Music Society is collaborating with a cast and creative team consisting of professionals and undergraduates to stage Henry Purcell’s 1688 masterwork in one of Harvard’s most intimate theatrical spaces.
