'La Didone' is darker than Purcell's 'Dido and Aeneas' and Berlioz's 'Les Troyens', but it is a fascinating and unjustly neglected opera and one of Cavalli's most accessible, benefiting from a complex but rich libretto and Cavalli's beautiful music that treats the story with great dignity.
While not quite perfect, though it almost is, this is a splendid production that treats the opera with respect. The sets are minimalist but still quite beautiful, and the costumes are neither too garish or too drab. Clément Herve-Léger's stage direction is simple but dramatically intense and does much with the complex story and the emotional interactions between the characters.
There are a couple of oddities, namely the use of scaffolding and Venus dragging the suitcase on her way to Carthage, unimaginative touches that add nothing, but a vast majority of it is poignant with the story always cohesive.
Musically, it is near-perfect. The orchestral playing is stylish, elegant and alive to energy, depth, tension and nuanced pathos, while William Christie (conducting from the harpsichord) keeps things tight and precise, ensuring that the drama never lags but still giving parts of the production an intimacy and gentle lyricism.
Performances here are exceptional, with the only reservation being Francisco Javier Borda who tries too hard. Anna Bonitatibus sings with tremendous power and dramatically outstanding, very vivid and affecting. Kressimir Spicer is suitably heroic as well as thoughtfully gentle and moving.
Supporting them all the way are Xavier Sabata's effective and stylishly sung Iarbas, Maria Streijffert's touching Hercuba, Katherine Watson's poignantly dignified Cassandra and Claire Debono's seductive Venus.
In conclusion, splendid performance and a perfect example of why Cavalli's operas should be better known and performed more. 9/10 Bethany Cox
