Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas

Henry Purcell (Composer), Teodor Currentzis (Conductor), Musica Aeterna (Orchestra), Alexandre Zverev (Performer), Deborah York (Performer), Dimitris Tiliakos (Performer), Elena Kondratova (Performer), Oleg Ryabov (Performer), Simone Kermes (Performer), Sofia Fomina (Performer), Valeria Safonova (Performer), Yana Mamonova (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alexandre Zverev, Deborah York, Dimitris Tiliakos, Elena Kondratova, Oleg Ryabov, et al.
• Orchestra: Musica Aeterna
• Conductor: Teodor Currentzis
• Composer: Henry Purcell
• Audio CD (February 10, 2009)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Alpha Productions
• ASIN: B001GDJ9IY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,758 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The myth of Dido has no doubt been one of the most prolific in epics, drama, and musical theatre. Teodor Currentzis, a young rising star on the international scene (including a wonderful success in 2008 at Opéra Bastille), took hold of this musical monument to offer us a version where, for once, drama prevails.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Dusted-off triumph, January 12, 2012

By 

Jens Jacobsen "Jens Jacobsen" (Berlin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (Audio CD)

From the stirring overture to the solemn final choir, I have never heard this opera in such clarity and beauty. Just listening to this you will have a whole baroque stage production happening in your mind. It's exciting when it needs to be and infinitely sad when called for. The cast is stunning, with Simone Kermes as Dido and the wonderful choir taking the well deserved spot-light. Deborah York is a great Belinda.

The conductor Teodor Currentzis managed to bring orchestra, choir and soloist to such live and drama, that I can not stop listening to it. I've heard it several times performed live by very highly respected ensembles (Berliner Symphonie Orchester, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Lautten Compagney Berlin), but never so riveting as this recording. Five stars for this!

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a disaster, July 1, 2009

By 

Terry Serres (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (Audio CD)

This album is a dreadful misfire. I *love* Simone Kermes and could hardly bear to finish listening to the set. The lion's share of the blame falls squarely on the conductor, who manages to make this glorious music sound downright ugly. The performance alienates from the very first bars of the overture -- the sound brittle, the strings harsh, it almost sounds like a willfully unmusical rendition of the witch's music. Kermes's voice is rather exposed and her reading of the role is affecting, but she really doesn't have a fighting chance in this company. To be avoided at all costs. Or, as the French would say, à fuir -- a recording to flee from. This opera has far too illustrious a recorded legacy to be sullied by the memory of this wretched mess.