The Queen of Carthage
About this event
A seamless blend of Baroque and contemporary song and dance, this interdisciplinary performance is a powerful reclamation of the story of Dido, The Queen of Carthage, and her legacy as a political leader, an empire builder and a woman of colour. This operatic performance, created by re:Naissance Opera, features commissioned works by contemporary composers Jessica McMann, Robyn Jacob and Afarin Mansouri, along with those of Baroque composers Henry Purcell and John Dowland. This project places Dido through a prism in which her story as a multifaceted leader, lover, and outcast is shown in its fullness.
Artists
Dr Debi Wong, concept, dramaturgy & stage director
Catalina Vicens, music director / 2023 Artist-in-Residence
Stephanie Wong, co-stage director
Marisa Gold, choreographer and ddancer
Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano, Dido
Juolin Lee, dancer
Yenny Lee, cover for Dido
Jessica McMann, Afarin Mansouri, Robyn Jacob, composers
EMV Festival Players directed by Catalina Vicens
Programme
DIDO, OUR ANCESTOR
1. Robyn Jacob (b.1988): When the Memory dies with the Body, it is still held in Time
2. Henry Purcell (1659-1695): “See, see even night herself is here”, from The Fairy Queen, Z.629, Act I
3. Henry Purcell: Overture to Act I, from Dido and Aeneas (excerpt)
DIDO, THE EMPEROR
4. Henry Purcell: “Come away, fellow sailors”, from Dido and Aeneas, Act III
Additional Text by Debi Wong
5. Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704): Battalia à 10
DIDO, THE LOVER
6. Alonso Mudarra (c.1510-1580): Dulces Exuviae
7. Henry Eccles (1670-1742): Sonata Quinta in E minor - Andante
8. John Eccles (1668-1735): “Restless in thought”, from She Ventures and He Wins (1696)
9. Henry Purcell: “When I am laid in earth” (Dido’s Lament) from Dido and Aeneas, Act III
DIDO, THE OUTCAST
10. Henry Purcell: “What Power Art Thou” (The Cold Song) from King Arthur, Z.628, Act III
11. John Eccles: The Mad Lover Suite
12. John Eccles: Slow Aire
13. Jessica McMann (b.1987): Blood, Fire, Flames
14. John Dowland (1563-1626): Semper Dowland, Semper Dolens
15. John Dowland: Flow my tears (Lachrimae Antiquae)
DIDO, THE DREAMER
16. Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677): Improvisation on Lagrime mie
17. Afarin Mansouri (b.1974): I choose to love you in silence
EPILOGUE: IN HER DREAMS, SHE DANCES
18. Henry Purcell: Dance from Dioclesian, Z.627, Act V
19. Henry Purcell: Chaconne from King Arthur Z.628
Runtime: approx. 74 min
Early Music Vancouver and re:Naissance Opera and Co-presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs
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