Malena Ernman - Dido & Aeneas - BLU-RAY

Henry Purcell was a genius whose ability to combine French and Italian influences transported the English language to new levels of expression in music. Dido and Aeneas was pioneering in it's day and is considered one of Purcell's foremost theatrical works, with a moving tale of love, betrayal and tragedy that has proved to be of unceasing appeal to audiences for centuries. Deborah Warner's brilliant stage direction combines period color with present-day dynamism, while William Christie's affection for this opera shines through in an overwhelmingly acclaimed performance filmed in December 2008 at the Opéra Comique in Paris.

After the success of the DVDs devoted to Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and Cadmus &Hermione, Vincent Dumestre and Le Poème Harmonique continue their explorationof repertoires of the 17th century.This piece, combining theatre and music, allowed Purcell to achieve his dramaticideal. In fact, he wrote only a single opera in his short career - he died at the age of36 -, but with it, he left us a gem of rare beauty and extreme concision. The work'sgenius is also due in part to the quality of the libretto, skilfully put together byNahum Tate.Cécile Roussat and Julien Lubek, stage directors coming from the arts of the circusand the mime Marceau, had already collaborated with Le Poème Harmoniqueon the Carnaval Baroque. Here, they combine mime, dance and acrobatics withthe music in a moving, magical production.

Giuseppe Saverio Mercadante was a contemporary of Donizetti and Rossini, and his prolific output of operas proved influential in founding dramatic techniques that were taken on by Verdi. Set in the ancient and besieged city of Carthage, Didone abbandonata is the dramatic and tragic tale of ill-starred lovers whose decisions ultimately place an entire populace in peril. A genuine rarity in the theatre, Didone has strong ties to the 18th century but also points towards the bel canto innovations that were to come. This carefully researched and critically acclaimed production presents the work in the sound and playing style of Mercadante's time.