Opera Memphis’ Midtown Opera Festival opened with strong modern and contemporary work. It returns this week with Henry Purcell’s baroque opera Dido & Aeneas. The story of Dido, the Carthaginian queen and her ill-fated love for the Trojan hero Aeneas, will be accompanied by an orchestra playing traditional baroque instruments like harpsichord, therobo, and the viol de gamba
What’s better than beautiful antique music played on beautiful antique instruments? Dirty antique music played in a traditional style, of course. And that’s what’s being served up in the opera lounge following Friday’s performance of Dido & Aeneas.
The rarest treat has been saved for Saturday Night. To compliment Purcell’s opera, Threepenny Theatre Company has undertaken a staging of Christopher Marlowe‘s brief, seldom seen tragedy, Dido Queen of Carthage. Marlowe’s version, which is believed to be the English playwright’s first theatrical effort, cleaves closely to the classical source material, telling a fiery story of Gods, humans, sex, obsession, and madness.
Dido, Dirty Madrigals, Christopher Marlowe, and Sweet Baroque Music (2)
April 17th @ 8:00 pm: Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas
April 17th @ 9:15 pm: Naughty Madrigals and Catches (and possibly instrumental music) in the lounge
April 18th @ 3:00 pm: Marlowe’s Dido, Queen of Carthage, performed by Threepenny Theatre Company (“pay what you can” at the door)
April 18th @ 4:15 pm: Dido Fest Panel, including representatives from Rhodes, Threepenny Theatre Company, and Opera Memphis – revolving around the many representations of Dido on the stage
April 18th @ 5:15 pm: Beginner’s Guide to Baroque Music with Zak Ozmo
April 18th @ 6:00 pm: Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas
