Fleur Barron, Matthew Brook, Tim Mead, Nicky Spence, La Nuova Musica, David Bates - Purcell: Dido & Aeneas (2023)

La Nuova Musica and its artistic director David Bates present Henry Purcell's most widely admired work Dido and Aeneas. With Nathum Tate's libretto based on Virgil's Aeneid Book IV, Dido and Aeneas is a miniature opera, as well as the only all-sung opera Purcell ever composed.

Constantly juxtaposing different moods, colours, orchestrations, this semi-opera enjoys the popularity for its "tunefulness, evocative power, and[…] its conciseness". The guiding star that David Bates wants to follow for this recording is making sure that Purcell's Italian, French, and English musical influences are all emphasized - by adding a typically Italian harp to the continuo or by doubling the strings with winds in the French tradition. Dido and Aeneas includes one of the most touching operatic laments "When I am laid in earth".

A cast of first-class singers with strong musical personalities offer an eclectic interpretation together with a chorus that creates a visceral and intrinsically dramatic soundworld. Dido and Aeneas is David Bates and La Nuova Musica's fourth release, after the acclaimed Gluck Orfeo and Euridice (2019) and Handel's Unsung Heroes (2021), as well as Beauteous Softness (2023) where they joined forces with Tim Mead. Counter-tenor Tim Mead previously released Pentatone's Handel Messiah (2020) with Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin. Star tenor Nicky Spence, Fleur Barron, Matthew Brook, Giulia Semenzato all make their Pentatone debut.

Nicky Spence, tenor
Fleur Barron, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Brook, bass-baritone
Tim Mead, countertenor
Giulia Semenzato, soprano
La Nuova Musica
David Bates, conductor, organ

Tracklist
01. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626: Overture
02. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act I: Shake the cloud - Banish Sorrow
03. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act I: Ah! Belinda
04. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act I: Grief increases by concealing - When Monarchs unite - When could so much virtue spring
05. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act I: Fear no danger - See, your royal guest appears
06. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act I: Cupid only throws the dart - If not for mine for Empire's sake - Persue thy conquest Love
07. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act I: To the hills and the vales - The Triumphing Dance
08. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: Prelude for the Witches
09. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: Wayward sisters - Harm's our delight
10. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: The queen of Carthage - Ho, Ho, Ho
11. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: Ruined ere the set of Sun! - The trojan Prince - Ho, Ho, Ho
12. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: But ere we this perform - In our deep vaulted cell - Dance
13. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: The Grove - Thanks to these lonesome vales
14. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: Gitter Ground at Dance - Often she visits
15. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: Behold, apon my bending spear - The skies are coloured - Haste haste to town
16. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act II: Stay Prince
17. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: The Sailors dance
18. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: See, See the flags - Our next motion - Destruction's our delight
19. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: The Witches' Dance
20. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: Your counsel all is urged in vain - Great minds
21. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: Thy Hand Belinda
22. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: When I am laid
23. Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626, Act III: With drooping wings