INTERNATIONALES MUSIK FEST HAMBURG

Purcell’s opera »Dido and Aeneas«, albeit relatively short, is without a doubt a masterpiece. Furthermore, it introduces the audience to one of the most powerful opera heroines in musical history. Thomas Hengelbrock now presents his own extended adaptation at the Hamburg International Music Festival.

The Austrian newspaper »Der Standard« commented on the performance of »Dido and Aeneas« at the Salzburg Festival: »Only a few grand productions have managed to own the colossal venue »Felsenreitschule« as entirely as this exquisite miniature.« And »Die Presse« rejoiced about the »fabulous energy« that Thomas Hengelbrock and his ensembles ensued. In Hengelbrock’s adaptation, the mythological princess and founder of Carthage possesses a lot more psychological depth. The character of the evil witch, played by actress Johanna Wokalek, reveals Dido’s innermost fears in the form of her alter ego.A production of the International Music Festival Hamburg in cooperation with the Salzburger Festspiele and the Rheingau Musik Festival