Which English composer wrote the opera Dido and Aeneas, whose first public performance was in 1684?
"she sang Dorabella in Mozart's ""Così fan tutte"", Dido in Berlioz's ""The Trojans"" as well as Dido in Purcell's ""Dido and Aeneas"", Octavian in Richard Strauss's ""Der Rosenkavalier"", the Composer in ""Ariadne auf Naxos"" and the role of Orfeo in Gluck's ""Orfeo ed Euridice"". The latter was considered her signature role; she sang it in many productions and a videotaped performance from Glyndebourne is available (see below). In 1966, Janet Baker made her debut as Hermia in Britten's ""Midsummer Night's Dream"" at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and went on to sing Berlioz's Dido, Kate in Britten's ""Owen Wingrave"","
"Venus and Adonis (opera) Venus and Adonis is an opera in three acts and a prologue by the English Baroque composer John Blow, composed in about 1683. It was written for the court of King Charles II at either London or Windsor. It is considered by some to be either a semi-opera or a masque, but ""The New Grove"" names it as the earliest known English opera. The author of the libretto was surmised to have been Aphra Behn due to the feminist nature of the text, and that she later worked with Blow on the play ""The Lucky Chance""."
"Didon (Piccinni) Didon (""Dido"") is a tragédie lyrique in three acts by the composer Niccolò Piccinni with a French-language libretto by Jean-François Marmontel. The opera is based on the story of Dido and Aeneas from Virgil's ""Aeneid"" as well as Metastasio's libretto ""Didone abbandonata"" (which Piccinni himself had set in 1770). ""Didon"" was first performed at Fontainebleau on 16 October 1783 in the presence of the French sovereigns, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. After being remounted at court twice, the opera had its Paris public premiere on 1 December 1783. It proved to be the composer's greatest success and was"
"to Metastasio's ""Didone abbandonata"" were not new to the London stage. Previous productions had included: Leonardo Vinci's ""Didone abbandonata"" (Royal Opera House, 1737); Johann Hasse's ""Didone"" (The King's Theatre, 1748); Vincenzo Ciampi's ""Didone"" (The King's Theatre, 1754); Baldassare Galuppi's ""La Didone abbandonata"" (The King's Theatre, 1761); Antonio Sacchini's ""Didone abbandonata"" (The King's Theatre, 1775); and Pasquale Anfossi's pastiche opera ""Didone abbandonata"" (The King's Theatre, 1786) The lead singers of Storace's opera were well known to London audiences. The celebrated German soprano, Elisabeth Mara, who sang the role of Dido, had made her London stage debut in 1786 in the title"
"and his men set sail for Italy. Notes Sources Didone abbandonata (Sarro) Didone abbandonata (""Dido Abandoned"") is an opera in three acts composed by Domenico Sarro to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio, which was based on the story of Dido and Aeneas from the fourth book of Virgil's ""Aeneid"". The opera premiered on 1 February 1724 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples. ""Didone abbandonata"" was Metastasio's first original libretto, and Sarro's opera was the first of what were to be over fifty musical settings of the work. The opera premiered at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples on 1"
"Dido, Queen of Carthage (opera) Dido, Queen of Carthage was an opera in three acts by Stephen Storace. Its English libretto by Prince Hoare was adapted from Metastasio's 1724 libretto, ""Didone abbandonata"" (""Dido Abandoned""), which had been set by many composers. Storace's opera premiered on 23 May 1792 at The King's Theatre in London combined with a performance of his masque, ""Neptune's Prophecy"". The story is based on that of Dido and Aeneas in the fourth book of Virgil's ""Aeneid"". The opera was not a success and was never revived after its original run of performances. The score has been"
"an opera by Thomas Shadwell in April 1674; Shadwell's revision had a musical score created by a team of composers that included Matthew Locke and Pelham Humfrey. This was the version of ""The Tempest"" most familiar to audiences up until William Macready's enormously successful production of Shakespeare's original on 13 October 1838. Shadwell's version was revived in 1701, in 1702 through 1704, in 1706 through 1708, in 1710, in 1712 through 1717, and more than 20 times between 1729 and 1747. Dryden and D'Avenant keep a great deal of Shakespeare's verse, but generally tone the play down, simplifying grammar and"
"than in any former drama since the dissolution of the Royal Academy of Music in 1728.” The opera is scored for flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, strings, and continuo (cello, lute, harpsichord). Arianna in Creta Arianna in Creta (""Ariadne in Crete"", HWV 32) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was adapted by Francis Colman from Pietro Pariati's ""Arianna e Teseo"", a text previously set by Nicola Porpora in 1727 and Leonardo Leo in 1729. The opera was first given at the King's Theatre in London on 26 January 1734 and then"
"extant. The Siege of Rhodes The Siege of Rhodes is an opera written to a text by the impresario William Davenant. The score is by five composers, the vocal music by Henry Lawes, Matthew Locke, and Captain Henry Cooke, and the instrumental music by Charles Coleman and George Hudson. It is considered to be the first English opera. Part 1 of ""The Siege of Rhodes"" was first performed in a small private theatre constructed at Davenant's home Rutland House in 1656. Special permission had to be obtained from the Puritan government of Oliver Cromwell as dramatic performances were outlawed and"
"Didone abbandonata (Sarro) Didone abbandonata (""Dido Abandoned"") is an opera in three acts composed by Domenico Sarro to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio, which was based on the story of Dido and Aeneas from the fourth book of Virgil's ""Aeneid"". The opera premiered on 1 February 1724 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples. ""Didone abbandonata"" was Metastasio's first original libretto, and Sarro's opera was the first of what were to be over fifty musical settings of the work. The opera premiered at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples on 1 February 1724 along with a two-part comic intermezzo also"
"The Siege of Rhodes The Siege of Rhodes is an opera written to a text by the impresario William Davenant. The score is by five composers, the vocal music by Henry Lawes, Matthew Locke, and Captain Henry Cooke, and the instrumental music by Charles Coleman and George Hudson. It is considered to be the first English opera. Part 1 of ""The Siege of Rhodes"" was first performed in a small private theatre constructed at Davenant's home Rutland House in 1656. Special permission had to be obtained from the Puritan government of Oliver Cromwell as dramatic performances were outlawed and all"
"as Aeneas, conducted by Theodore Thomas; the second, ""Les Troyens à Carthage"" (with cuts), was given in English on 26 February 1887 at Chickering Hall with Marie Gramm as Dido, Max Alvary as Aeneas, and possibly conducted by Frank Van der Stucken. The first staged performance of the whole opera only took place in 1890, 21 years after Berlioz's death. The first and second parts, in Berlioz's revised versions of three and five acts, were sung on two successive evenings, 6 and 7 December, in German at Karlsruhe (see Roles). This production was frequently revived over the succeeding eleven years"
"on 16 May 1794. ""No more his fears alarming"" for the soprano voice. The Pirates (opera) The Pirates is an opera by composer Stephen Storace with an English libretto by James Cobb. The work was partly adapted from Storace's 1786 opera ""Gli equivoci"" and is remarkable as affording one of the earliest instances of the introduction of a grand finale into an English opera. The work premiered at the Haymarket Theatre on November 21, 1792. The opera became a huge success and is considered by many music critics to be Storace's best composition. It was chosen as the starring prima"
"Among Purcell's most notable works are his opera ""Dido and Aeneas"" (1688), his semi-operas ""Dioclesian"" (1690), ""King Arthur"" (1691), ""The Fairy-Queen"" (1692) and ""Timon of Athens"" (1695), as well as the compositions ""Hail! Bright Cecilia"" (1692), ""Come Ye Sons of Art"" (1694) and ""Funeral Sentences and Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary"" (1695). After his death, Purcell was honoured by many of his contemporaries, including his old friend John Blow, who wrote ""An Ode, on the Death of Mr. Henry Purcell (Mark how the lark and linnet sing)"" with text by his old collaborator, John Dryden. William Croft's 1724"
"performed. It is occasionally considered the first genuine English opera, though that title is usually given to Blow's ""Venus and Adonis"": as in Blow's work, the action does not progress in spoken dialogue but in Italian-style recitative. Each work runs to less than one hour. At the time, ""Dido and Aeneas"" never found its way to the theatre, though it appears to have been very popular in private circles. It is believed to have been extensively copied, but only one song was printed by Purcell's widow in ""Orpheus Britannicus"", and the complete work remained in manuscript until 1840, when it"
"by ""The Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru"" (1658) and ""The History of Sir Francis Drake"" (1659). These pieces were encouraged by Oliver Cromwell because they were critical of Spain. With the English Restoration, foreign (especially French) musicians were welcomed back. In 1673, Thomas Shadwell's ""Psyche"", patterned on the 1671 'comédie-ballet' of the same name produced by Molière and Jean-Baptiste Lully. William Davenant produced ""The Tempest"" in the same year, which was the first musical adaption of a Shakespeare play (composed by Locke and Johnson). About 1683, John Blow composed ""Venus and Adonis"", often thought of as the first true"
"the Death of Purcell"" (1696). In 1700 he published his ""Amphion Anglicus"", a collection of pieces of music for one, two, three and four voices, with a figured bass accompaniment. John Blow John Blow (baptised 23 February 1649 – 1 October 1708) was an English Baroque composer and organist, appointed to Westminster Abbey in 1669. His pupils included William Croft, Jeremiah Clarke and Henry Purcell. In 1685 he was named a private musician to James II. His only stage composition, ""Venus and Adonis"" (ca. 1680–1687), is thought to have influenced Henry Purcell's later opera ""Dido and Aeneas"". In 1687 he"
"to an hour before the actual performance, and texts indicates that they were used during the plays. Plays, perhaps particularly the heavier histories and tragedies, were frequently broken up with a short musical play, perhaps derived from the Italian intermezzo, with music, jokes and dancing, known as a 'jigg' and from which the jig dance derives its name. After the closure of the London theatres in 1642 these tendencies developed into sung plays that are recognisable as English Opera's, the first usually being thought of as William Davenant's (1606–68) ""The Siege of Rhodes"" (1656), originally given in a private performance."
"conclusion, as the Queen of Carthage sings her last aria, ""When I am laid in Earth"", also known as ""Dido's Lament."" The chorus and orchestra then conclude the opera once Dido is dead by ordering the ""cupids to scatter roses on her tomb, soft and gentle as her heart. Keep here your watch, and never, never part."" The first complete recording of the opera was made by Decca Records in 1935 with Nancy Evans as Dido and Roy Henderson as Aeneas, followed in 1945 by HMV's release with Joan Hammond and Dennis Noble. Kirsten Flagstad, who had sung the role"
"turned several of his farcical comedies into musical entertainments with songs (music provided by Jean Baptiste Lully) and dance in the late 17th century. His ""Psyche"" was the model for an English opera by Thomas Shadwell, ""The Miser"" produced in 1672. Davenant produced ""The Tempest"" in 1667, which was the first Shakespeare plot set to music, and was then adapted by Shadwell into an opera in 1674 (composed by Matthew Locke and others). About 1683, John Blow composed ""Venus and Adonis"", often considered the first true English-language opera. Blow was followed by Henry Purcell and a brief period of English"
"Didone abbandonata (Albinoni) Didone abbandonata (""Dido Abandoned"") was an opera in three acts composed by Tomaso Albinoni. Albinoni's music (now lost) was set to Pietro Metastasio's libretto, ""Didone abbandonata"", which was in turn based on the story of Dido and Aeneas from the fourth book of Virgil's ""Aeneid"". The opera premiered on 26 December 1724 at the Teatro San Cassiano in Venice and was the first time that an opera based on a Metastasio libretto was performed in Venice. Metastasio's libretto was first set by Domenico Sarro, whose opera premiered at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples on 1 February"
"in 2004 and issued under the Naxos label in 2005. Notes Sources Rinaldo (opera) Rinaldo (HWV 7) is an opera by George Frideric Handel, composed in 1711, and was the first Italian language opera written specifically for the London stage. The libretto was prepared by Giacomo Rossi from a scenario provided by Aaron Hill, and the work was first performed at the Queen's Theatre in London's Haymarket on 24 February 1711. The story of love, war and redemption, set at the time of the First Crusade, is loosely based on Torquato Tasso's epic poem ""Gerusalemme liberata"" (""Jerusalem Delivered""), and its"
"of ""Dido and Aeneas"" by Henry Purcell with the English Chamber Orchestra and Janet Baker. A 1964 performance of Mozart's Piano Quartet K.478 was filmed in London, with Benjamin Britten (piano), Emanuel Hurwitz and Cecil Aronowitz. Many reviews of his recordings are available in the Gramophone Archive. Terence Weil played an Amati and later a cello built by Domenico Montagnana that had belonged to Pablo Casals before. Terence Weil Terence Weil (9 December 1921 in London – 25 February 1995 in Figueras) was a British cellist, principal cellist of the English Chamber Orchestra, a founding member of the Melos Ensemble,"
"a tradition of English language opera. Arthur Sullivan, a pupil of Goss, came to public attention in the 1860s with Shakespeare incidental music, ""The Tempest"" (1862), ""The Merchant of Venice"" (1871), his ""Irish Symphony"" (1863–66) and ""In Memoriam"". The period 1835-1865 saw the height of popularity for the Irish born Michael Balfe (1808–70), composer of ""The Bohemian Girl"" (1843), the operas of John Pyke Hullah (1812–84), and the earlier English operas of German-born Sir Julius Benedict (1804–85), including his best-known, ""The Lily of Killarney"" (1862). ""Maritana"" (1845) was the most famous and ballad-rich of the Irish born William Vincent Wallace's"
"from turning his attention to the stage, for which, at different periods of his life, he composed work which undoubtedly exercised a potent influence upon the dramatic music of the period. Of his first opera, ""Marco Aurelio"", written for the carnival and produced at Munich in 1681, the only copy known to exist is a manuscript score preserved in the royal library at Buckingham Palace. It was followed by ""Solone"" in 1685, by ""Audacia e rispetto"", ""Prerogative d'amore"", and ""Servio Tulio"" in 1686, by ""Alarico"" in 1687, and by ""Niobe, regina di Tebe"" in 1688. Notwithstanding the favor shown to"
"Thomas Hemsley Thomas Jeffrey Hemsley, CBE (12 April 192711 April 2013) was an English baritone. Hemsley was born in Coalville, Leicestershire, and attended Ashby de la Zouch Grammar School. He took a degree in natural sciences from Brasenose College, Oxford. He moved to London and became a pupil of Lucie Manén, and also served as a Vicar Choral at St Paul's Cathedral. He made his debut in 1951 as Aeneas in Purcell's ""Dido and Aeneas"" at the Mermaid Theatre, London, alongside Kirsten Flagstad as Dido. The pair recorded the opera for EMI the same year. He debuted at Glyndebourne in"
"In a poem of about 1686, Tate alluded to James II as Aeneas, who is misled by the evil machinations of the Sorceress and her witches (representing Roman Catholicism, a common metaphor at the time) into abandoning Dido, who symbolises the British people. The same symbolism may apply to the opera. This explains the addition of the characters of the Sorceress and the witches, which do not appear in the original ""Aeneid"". It would be noble, or at least acceptable, for Aeneas to follow the decree of the Gods, but not so acceptable for him to be tricked by ill-meaning"
"Concerto"" by Julian Lloyd Webber (1986); and ""The Rose of Persia"" (1999); ""The Golden Legend"" (2001); ""Ivanhoe"", (2009); and ""The Masque at Kenilworth"" and ""On Shore and Sea"" (2014), conducted by, respectively, Tom Higgins, Ronald Corp, David Lloyd-Jones and Richard Bonynge. In 2017 Chandos Records released an album, ""Songs"", which includes ""The Window"" and 35 individual Sullivan songs. Mackerras's Sullivan ballet, ""Pineapple Poll"", has received many recordings since its first performance in 1951. Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 operatic collaborations with"
"Haddon Hall (opera) Haddon Hall is an English light opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by Sydney Grundy. The opera, set at the eponymous hall, dramatises the legend of Dorothy Vernon's elopement with John Manners, resetting the tale in the 17th century. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 24 September 1892 for a modestly successful run of 204 performances, closing on 15 April 1893. The piece was popular with amateur theatre groups, particularly in Britain, up to the 1920s, but it has been produced only sporadically since then. The National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company presented"
"The Pirates (opera) The Pirates is an opera by composer Stephen Storace with an English libretto by James Cobb. The work was partly adapted from Storace's 1786 opera ""Gli equivoci"" and is remarkable as affording one of the earliest instances of the introduction of a grand finale into an English opera. The work premiered at the Haymarket Theatre on November 21, 1792. The opera became a huge success and is considered by many music critics to be Storace's best composition. It was chosen as the starring prima buffa to be performed for King George III at the King's Theatre, London"
"Fiesque Fiesque (""The Genoese Conspiracy"") is an opera by the French composer Édouard Lalo. The libretto, by Charles Beauquier, is based on Schiller's 1784 play, ""Die Verschwörung des Fiesco zu Genua"", an account of the conspiracy in 1547 led by Fiesque against the ruling Doria family. It had its first staged performance at the Nationaltheater, Mannheim on 16 June 2007. The concert premiere took place on 27 July 2006 at the Festival de Radio France et Montpellier with Roberto Alagna in the title role. The UK premiere took place on 10 March 2008, in a production by University College Opera."
"stage work never to have left the opera repertory. The opera has been adapted numerous times since its premiere, with a notable arrangement being made by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1788. Handel never gave the work in the form in which it is generally heard today, since it contains music which, while by Handel, was never added by him. Handel composed the first version of ""Acis and Galatea"" while he was living at Cannons (the seat of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos) during 1717–1718. It was Handel’s first dramatic work in the English language and was clearly influenced by"
"composer conducting. Described as one of the most dramatically appealing English operas, the opera in two acts has a prologue and sixteen scenes, each preceded by a variation on the twelve-note 'Screw' theme. Typically of Britten, the music mixes tonality and dissonance, with Britten's recurrent use of a twelve-tone figure being perhaps a nod to the approach of Arnold Schoenberg. Thematically, the play gives a central role to a line borrowed from W. B. Yeats' poem ""The Second Coming"": ""The ceremony of innocence is drowned."" The opera was given its British premiere on 6 October 1954 by the Sadler's Wells"