John Blow: Venus & Adonis; Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas

Ida Ränzlöv, Bernt Ola Volungholen, Christina Larsson Malmberg, Rupert Enticknap, Lisa Carlioth, Mathilda Sidén Silfver, Mikael Stenbaek, Arash Azarbad, Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra, William Relton (director), Olof Boman

alluring performances, sumptuous costumes and clever set designs. All the principals are strong, but mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv stands out. Technically flawless, texturally lush and dramatically... — ****, BBC Music Magazine, June 2023 More…

Release Date: 24th Feb 2023
Catalogue No: OA1361D
Label: Opus Arte

Gramophone Magazine

May 2023

DVD/Blu-ray of the Month

Blow: Venus and Adonis

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas

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Two classic court operas are brought together to tell the stories of love, be it between gods or royalty in the historic Confidencen Theatre, Sweden.

Venus & Adonis, composed in 1683 by John Blow, is considered the earliest example of English opera. It tells the enchanting story of two mythical lovers and their cruel fate in scenes reaching from light-hearted comedy to heartfelt despair.

Henry Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas from 1689 has become one of the most famous and beloved operas from the Baroque era, with its sumptuous music, dramatic plot and its themes of love, friendship, jealousy, and cruelty. The opera is perhaps best known for Dido’s painfully beautiful lament When I am Laid in Earth.

Reviews

June 2023

alluring performances, sumptuous costumes and clever set designs. All the principals are strong, but mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv stands out. Technically flawless, texturally lush and dramatically compelling, Ränzlöv unleashes the roiling passions of her two title characters.

May 2023

William Relton, the director, never puts a foot wrong...The orchestra of period instruments – the pitch is a semitone below today’s standard – can’t be faulted.

July 2023

Unpretentious and lacking star performers, it achieves a quality of performance and level of integrity and period style that in recent times have not infrequently been beyond its more august neighbour a few miles away.

John Blow: Venus & Adonis; Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas

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John Blow: Venus & Adonis; Henry Purcell: Dido & Aeneas

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