Dido and Aeneas Essay
Joyce Atallah
FMX 211
Art & Technology
Dido and Aeneas is a well known passionate and innovative Opera composed by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell. It’s first documented performance was in 1689. His piece was based on the story of ‘The Aeneid,’ a poem by a Roman poet named Vergil. It tells a story of power, politics, love and heartbreak. The mise en scène in the Opera was especially excellent, everything seemed planned and placed purposefully which brought all the scenes together. Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas was an important part in the chronology of Opera, and has continued to be popular hundreds of years later.
There are three acts in this Opera: Dido's court, The cave of the Sorceress/ A grove during the middle of a hunt, and The harbour at Carthage. The Story of Dido’s Aeneas starts off in Dido’s court, where Dido’s is fated to marry Aeneas in order to ease the tension between Carthage and the Trojans. At first she was hesitant , thinking that love may make her weak. Though soon her friends approach and comfort her, allowing Dido’s to give in. She then accepts Aeneas’ marriage proposal. In the next act we see a group of people gathered around a fire chanting, laughing, and planning on a way to destroy Carthage. Their plan consisted of having someone disguised as Mercury in order to tempt and convince Aeneas to leave Dido and sail back to Italy, knowing that doing so would weaken Dido and break her heart. They then conjure up a storm to drive Dido away, and disappear into the night. When approached by fake Mercury, Aeneas chooses to obey and depart to Italy. Dido finds out about his decision and is approached by Aeneas himself. He pleads that he would disobey and stay by her side. Dido, hurt from the idea that he even thought to leave her, says no. As he leaves she can feel death upon her. In the last scene we are in a dark room. Dido lays down and her life fades in front of a crowd. They begin to sing, retrieve her body and set her ablaze in her coffin, concluding the film.
The first time the people watched this Opera was when it was performed at Josias Priest's girls' school in London. They relied solely on the props, costumes, sets, and talent to have a good performance. Since cameras were invented a couple hundred years after the first performance its difficult to properly see how the opera originated. Though I believe it’s safe to say that through technological advancements, the performance would continue to grow and improve as time passed. This specific adaptation of Dido and Aeneas came out in 1995. You can see how much time goes into this production. It is a cinematic experience, recorded much like a movie. There are multiple cameras recording from every angle, lights shining on the cast, and fantastic attention to detail. These sets have beautiful scenery. The camera work and lighting also help express the mood and what the producers want you to feel. A lot of scenes in the Opera are dark and dreary with a hint of smoke letting the light reflect an array of colors. This gave off an almost depressing and eerie sensation. To top it off there are even some special effects were characters disappear into thin air, which would prove difficult to do on an on stage performance back then. There is also a great use of fire in a lot of scenes, which can be very dangerous but visually rewarding.
When I watched this Opera I learned how intense it is for the entire piece to be sung. It was combining two separate ways of expression, cinema and singing. I have never watching anything quite like this so I personally was a little overwhelmed and had a difficult time following at certain parts. But overall found myself interested in this film.
It's interesting to think of how the story of Dido and Aeneas would be told in the modern world. A good way to tell stories in the 21st century is through video games. If I were a director I would want the video game to involve the music, vibe and drama of the original opera since I believe it’s important. The game wouldn’t have an overall goal, rather, it would take you through a journey. The character would change based on the scenes. In some scenes we would follow Aeneas and in others we would follow Dido. I think the game could have you play through the story. Then when they are about to sing a major part of the plot, the player faces a challenge and has to hit a series of notes based on the song, similar to the video game ‘Guitar Hero’ or maybe even ‘Dance Dance Revolution.’ To advance in the game, they would need an almost perfect score. This is a good way to invest the player in the story, while also having them actively play a part in it. The game finishes with Dido’s death and fades to black, The End.
The love between Dido and Aeneas was tragic, but the story was beautifully told and emotional. The technological advancements helped enhance the already talented cast and performers. Surely technology will continue to improve performance arts, among many other things in the future.
FMX 211
Art & Technology
Dido and Aeneas is a well known passionate and innovative Opera composed by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell. It’s first documented performance was in 1689. His piece was based on the story of ‘The Aeneid,’ a poem by a Roman poet named Vergil. It tells a story of power, politics, love and heartbreak. The mise en scène in the Opera was especially excellent, everything seemed planned and placed purposefully which brought all the scenes together. Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas was an important part in the chronology of Opera, and has continued to be popular hundreds of years later.
There are three acts in this Opera: Dido's court, The cave of the Sorceress/ A grove during the middle of a hunt, and The harbour at Carthage. The Story of Dido’s Aeneas starts off in Dido’s court, where Dido’s is fated to marry Aeneas in order to ease the tension between Carthage and the Trojans. At first she was hesitant , thinking that love may make her weak. Though soon her friends approach and comfort her, allowing Dido’s to give in. She then accepts Aeneas’ marriage proposal. In the next act we see a group of people gathered around a fire chanting, laughing, and planning on a way to destroy Carthage. Their plan consisted of having someone disguised as Mercury in order to tempt and convince Aeneas to leave Dido and sail back to Italy, knowing that doing so would weaken Dido and break her heart. They then conjure up a storm to drive Dido away, and disappear into the night. When approached by fake Mercury, Aeneas chooses to obey and depart to Italy. Dido finds out about his decision and is approached by Aeneas himself. He pleads that he would disobey and stay by her side. Dido, hurt from the idea that he even thought to leave her, says no. As he leaves she can feel death upon her. In the last scene we are in a dark room. Dido lays down and her life fades in front of a crowd. They begin to sing, retrieve her body and set her ablaze in her coffin, concluding the film.
The first time the people watched this Opera was when it was performed at Josias Priest's girls' school in London. They relied solely on the props, costumes, sets, and talent to have a good performance. Since cameras were invented a couple hundred years after the first performance its difficult to properly see how the opera originated. Though I believe it’s safe to say that through technological advancements, the performance would continue to grow and improve as time passed. This specific adaptation of Dido and Aeneas came out in 1995. You can see how much time goes into this production. It is a cinematic experience, recorded much like a movie. There are multiple cameras recording from every angle, lights shining on the cast, and fantastic attention to detail. These sets have beautiful scenery. The camera work and lighting also help express the mood and what the producers want you to feel. A lot of scenes in the Opera are dark and dreary with a hint of smoke letting the light reflect an array of colors. This gave off an almost depressing and eerie sensation. To top it off there are even some special effects were characters disappear into thin air, which would prove difficult to do on an on stage performance back then. There is also a great use of fire in a lot of scenes, which can be very dangerous but visually rewarding.
When I watched this Opera I learned how intense it is for the entire piece to be sung. It was combining two separate ways of expression, cinema and singing. I have never watching anything quite like this so I personally was a little overwhelmed and had a difficult time following at certain parts. But overall found myself interested in this film.
It's interesting to think of how the story of Dido and Aeneas would be told in the modern world. A good way to tell stories in the 21st century is through video games. If I were a director I would want the video game to involve the music, vibe and drama of the original opera since I believe it’s important. The game wouldn’t have an overall goal, rather, it would take you through a journey. The character would change based on the scenes. In some scenes we would follow Aeneas and in others we would follow Dido. I think the game could have you play through the story. Then when they are about to sing a major part of the plot, the player faces a challenge and has to hit a series of notes based on the song, similar to the video game ‘Guitar Hero’ or maybe even ‘Dance Dance Revolution.’ To advance in the game, they would need an almost perfect score. This is a good way to invest the player in the story, while also having them actively play a part in it. The game finishes with Dido’s death and fades to black, The End.
The love between Dido and Aeneas was tragic, but the story was beautifully told and emotional. The technological advancements helped enhance the already talented cast and performers. Surely technology will continue to improve performance arts, among many other things in the future.
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