Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Dido and Aeneas (1689)
Dido – Joyce DiDonato (mezzo)
Belinda – Fatma Said (soprano)
Aeneas – Michael Spyres (tenor)
Sorceress – Beth Taylor (mezzo)
Il Pomo d’Oro Orchestra and Choir/Maxim Emelyanychev
rec. live, 2024, Alfried Krupp Saal, Philharmonie Essen, Essen, Germany
Booklet with article and libretto in English, French, and German
Reviewed as download
Erato 2173228488 [52]
For background on this opera and for comprehensive reviews of thirty other recordings of this work, I’ll refer to you Ralph Moore’s excellent survey. I own seven of the recordings in his survey, including three of his top recommendations: those conducted by Colin Davis (1970), Raymond Leppard (1985), and Richard Hickox (1995). I revisited these three sets in preparation for this review. I place this new offering in their worthy company.
I have long admired Joyce DiDonato for her intelligence, musicianship, and artistry, as well as for her beautiful voice and perfect technique. She had previously recorded “Dido’s Lament” with the same conductor and orchestra, and it has figured in her concert repertoire. Here, we get an excellent interpretation of the full role. The brief action of the opera is bookended by two songs for Dido, both in a slow tempo over a ground bass. DiDonato uses the first of these songs – Ah! Belinda I am pressed with torments – to set the tone of anguish with which she will conclude the second of the songs – When I am laid in earth. She lingers on the words “I languish” yet summons up plenty of power on the phrase “Yet would not have it known.” She is fierce in her final confrontation with Aeneas, then dies beautifully in her famous lament.
Likewise, I have admired Michael Spyres since I first heard him on the Naxos recording of Rossini’s Otello some years ago. (review) I primarily associate him with bel canto, particularly the works of Rossini and Donizetti, though I have recordings of him in works as diverse as Handel’s Messiah and Berlioz’s Les Troyens. I view his appearance here as luxury casting in what is a relatively small role. Aeneas has only one solo passage of recitative; otherwise, he’s merely a foil to Dido. Although listed in scores as a part for tenor, Aeneas is usually sung by a baritone. The tessitura lies in the middle of the voice, most of the part being between the Es at the top of bottom of the music as represented in the treble clef. There are only a very few passages that hit the highest note in the role, the F at the top of the staff. This is firmly in baritone territory. Spyres has the baritonal heft for the role and shows a great deal of feeling for the limited drama of the part. My only complaint of his performance, and of the recording as a whole, is that he flubs the line, “How can so hard a fate be took.” It sounds as if he sings “for took” instead of “be took.”
The Sorceress is sung with a great deal of gusto by Scottish mezzo Beth Taylor. This is the first time I’ve heard her voice, and I’ll now count myself one of her admirers, too. She throws herself into the part without being either hammy, campy, or over-the-top, which are common failings of interpreters of this role. Her lower register has a contralto-like richness that is especially appealing.
Fatma Said sings prettily as Belinda. Her voice blends well with both DiDonato and Carlotta Columbo who sings the attendant. Laurence Kilsby, the Sailor, gives a straightforward and pleasant rendition of his third act song.
The clear diction of all the singers and the chorus adds to the drama of the recording. The chorus is small, consisting of only seventeen singers. The recording captures their various vocal lines very well. The Pomo d’Oro Orchestra is composed of strings augmented with theorboes, organ, and percussion. The dances are accompanied by drum and tambourine, with some occasional clapping of hands. Sound effects are provided with a period appropriate thunder sheet that rumbles dramatically throughout the Witches scene, adding to the theatricality of the performance.
I won’t pass by without commenting on the gimmicky name of the work on the accompanying materials. The name of the lead character is written as “DiDO” in what I surmise was meant to be a cute little play on the lead singer’s name: DiDONATO, as it’s printed. I can’t comment on the commercially produced booklet, as I have only the pdf that I downloaded. Regarding that, I can say only that it was a waste of the toner and paper I used to print it. The text is presented in a minuscule, pale blue font on a darker blue background. It’s completely illegible. It’s best to view the electronic version of the booklet on a tablet where you can adjust the size of the font. For those not already familiar with the work, it’s easy to find the English libretto on-line. It’s also possible to download various vocal scores that contain all of the music recorded here, though not necessarily in the same order where repeated music is concerned. These matters of packaging and presentation are minor quibbles.
Although not stated in the booklet, Joyce DiDonato’s website indicates that this recording was made live. On repeated hearings, I could not detect the presence of an audience in the venue.
I’m not sure that I would now say that this is my favorite recording of the opera – I first heard and loved the work on the old Colin Davis recording – but I’m sure I’ll return to this many times with pleasure.
Stephen Wells
Other cast
Another Attendant – Carlotta Colombo (soprano)
Spirit – Hugh Cutting (countertenor)
Sailor – Laurence Kilsby (tenor)
First Witch – Alena Dantcheva (soprano)
Second Witch – Anna Piroli (soprano)
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