Dido and Aeneas at Roedean

This year’s Brighton Festival Fringe concert featured a semi-staged performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Performing this baroque work is particularly pertinent, since one of its first showings was at Joisias Priest’s Girls’ School in Chelsea in 1688. Dido and Aeneas represents the first performance of an opera at Roedean for a good number of years, and it was a fantastic spectacle –congratulations to everyone involved!

The opera boasts nine soloists, all of whom were outstanding, led by the tragic heroine, Dido, Queen of Carthage, sung by Alma in Year 13. They were ably supported throughout by the Roedean Choir, made up of students, and members of staff and the local community. The story centres around the conflict between destiny and desire.

Alma performed her tragic role with great skill, her voice conveying the pathos of her situation brilliantly – she has fallen in love with Aeneas, but he abandons her. Dido’s arias showcase the soprano’s full vocal range, and the rich tone of Alma’s voice lent itself perfectly to this role. Her final aria, featuring the famous repeated ‘Remember me’ sequence, was exquisite.

Dido’s lover, Aeneas, was played by Ellen, and the interaction between the two characters captured their doomed relationship well. Ella played the role of Belinda, Dido’s sister, and she mastered the expressive, fast-moving passages with ease, and this was complemented strongly by Candis, who performed the role of 2nd woman.

In the woods, Dido is tricked by the Sorceress and two witches. Kaitlin’s characterisation as the Sorceress was brilliant and highly evocative, and the vocal interplay between Alissandra and Grace was perfectly timed. The remaining two roles of Spirit and Sailor were performed by Alice and Galina, and both displayed great confidence and skill. These five characters all have key roles to play in moving the story forward to its tragic conclusion.

The School’s musicians were not only represented by singers, because the String Orchestra and Harpsichord play throughout the opera, and baroque music is characterised by few breaks and lots of repeated sections, meaning that the players need to be focused from the start to the finish. These musicians represent the foundations of the music, and they should be congratulated on executing their role so well, led by Ms Bartlette, and directed by Mr Rous. Thank you also to Georgia Bishop, who directed the opera; it was clear that the performers responded excellently to her.

The opera was a triumph, and congratulations go to everyone involved – bravo!

Dr Barrand