A coreography by Blanca Li in a new Liceu coproduction conducted by William Christie with Les Arts Florissants

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“When I am laid in earth, may my wrongs create no trouble in thy breast…” 

Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is a delightful chamber opera based on Christopher Marlowe’s Dido, queen of Carthage. Purcell – the «Orpheus Britannicus», as he has been named – raised English opera to the peak of elegance and eloquence by composing one of the most remarkable operas ever.

Over 300 years after it was premiered, this opera still moves us with its message about love and loss. The tragic story of Dido, the queen of Carthage, and the Trojan prince Aeneas was told by Virgil. Purcell’s music is highly varied, ranging from the powerful emotions of Dido’s famous lament, via the darker tones of the witches, to the sailors’ lively songs and dances.

Blanca Li, in this striking opera and dance production, uses her characteristic choreographic idiom to reinterpret this great but sad tale about how the inability to keep passion and powerful feelings under control can end in betrayal and a tragic parting. William Christie, a pioneer of the use of period instruments and a renowned specialist in Baroque music, will be at the head of his ensemble Les Arts Florissants to offer us this sensitive, creative and unconventional performance.

Patron of the Dance Circle

With the support of:

Dido & Aeneas
Baroque opera comprising a prologue and three acts.
Libretto by Nahum Tate, based on Book VI of Virgil's Aeneid
World premiere: 1689 at Mr Josias Priest's Boarding School for Girls in Chelsea (London)
Barcelona premiere:14/01/1956 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu 
Last Liceu performance: 22/01/1956
Total number of Liceu performances: 3  

* Soloists of 'Celestial Music did the Gods inspire'