Amy Hahn
HNR 240
Dido and Aeneas Review
The Syracuse University Opera Theater performed Henry Purcell’s Dido and
Aeneas three times this past weekend in Setnor Auditorium. The performance
featured Eric Johnson as producer/director and Peppie Calvar as the conductor,
while the cast and orchestra were composed of SU students. The 8pm performance
on Saturday featured Jing Liu as Dido, Catherine Bauman as Belinda, Alexander
Alpert as Aeneas, and Kamala Sloss as the Sorceress.
The show began with a brief description of the history behind Dido and
Aeneas. Once the speaker finished and left the stage, the orchestra broke into the
overture and the lights dimmed. The center of the stage was set with a wooden
throne and around the stage were painted boards. The overture came to a close and
cast members walked out from behind the painted boards, including Dido. Dido
appeared regal and prim, while some of her cast members appeared awkward and
uncomfortable. Dido’s dress floated behind her, making her entrance even more
regal. Some cast members were not dressed in flattering material and looked out of
place next to Dido.
Dido sang to Belinda about her sorrows and the cast responded by pressing
Dido to marry Aeneas. Dido’s voice powerfully filled the air but was often difficult to
understand, whereas Belinda annunciated her words just enough for them to be
discernible. Aeneas entered from the back of the auditorium, announcing his
presence to the room. He strode forward to the stage and he emanated power. The
scene ended and the cast left the stage.
The lighting changed to a deep red as the Sorceress entered. She held her
cloak up on either side of her body, producing a bat-like image. Her teased hair and
painted face sent chills through the audience. Then her minions appeared before her
after crawling and slinking their way onto the stage. The Sorceress’s voice was not
nearly as strong as either Dido’s or Belinda’s. Two of her minions bantered back and
forth in a comical manner as they plotted Dido’s demise.
The next three scenes depicted events in a grove, on a ship, and in the palace
again. The most notable of these three scenes was the ship scene, when some of the
cast performed a dance routine. One particular cast member recovered well from a
minor trip and the awkwardness disappeared that had been present in this cast
previously. The dance was comical and the audience was engaged throughout the
scene.
The performance as a whole was enjoyable. It lasted about one hour and kept
the audience engaged for its entirety. I have never been to an opera before but found
I thoroughly enjoyed attending this one. I was grateful for the synopsis in the
program, because otherwise I would not have been aware of the storyline and
would not have been able to follow the performance.
The actors utilized the space of Setnor Auditorium to announce their
presence, project their voices, and come into their roles. The audience seemed to be
filled with other music students who were engaged with the performance and
reacted positively to their colleagues on stage. I was particularly delighted with the
orchestra’s performance in that they followed the cues from the actors on stage
seamlessly.
If this performance was still running then I would recommend it to others,
but since it was only performed three times, I would suggest that others engage with
the music school on campus and see for themselves the talent the students possess.