Dido and Aeneas: This is the mythical love story of two extraordinary personalities, who are being brought together by the shared experience of flight, loss of home and new beginnings but then, torn apart again. – A story full of tension, drama and great emotions, which unfolds its dynamics in a thrilling way also in Baldassare Galuppi’s version, based on Pietro Metastasio’s powerful libretto. It doesn’t always have to be Purcell!

Aeneas, who found refuge and love with the Queen of Carthage after the Trojan War, has decided to set off again. His mission to found an empire in Italy in which the destroyed Troy is to be resurrected forces him to do so. But Dido’s enemies are just waiting to take over her own newly founded empire. She fights with all means at her disposal for her power – and for Aeneas’ love, without which everything else makes no sense to her …

In 1724, »Didone abbandonata« was the first stroke of genius from the greatest opera poet of the century. Almost 30 years and countless musical settings later, Metastasio revised his libretto for the Spanish court. Baldassare Galuppi, who was celebrated from Madrid to St. Petersburg and who was at the peak of his abilities at the time, also presented a new version of his musical work. With their top-class cast of singers, Ulises Illán and the Nereydas Ensemble are the first to bring the Madrid version of 1752 to the concert stage.

Concert performance in Italian with German subtitles
Duration: approx. 3 hours including one intermission

6 pm: Introduction with musicologist Bettina Schmidt, meeting point: Foyer Nikolaisaal