Radical Dido

Dido and Aeneas - Roman fresco,
Pompeian Third Style (10 BC - 45 AD),
Pompeii, Italy

As part of PLAY, the 2016 Arts & Humanities Festival at King’s College London, the Helios Collective is presenting Dido & ..., a re-imagining of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in the Great Hall at King's College, London from 12 to 14 October 2016. The Helios Collective with director Ella Marchment and conductor/composer Leo Geyer are asking the question why shouldn't performances of old musical texts by as innovative performances of plays. 

It is routine for actors to bring new meaning (sometimes radically) to old texts, but in music the score is sacrosanct. With singers Camilla Bull, Isolde Roxby, Sam Pantcheff, Lily Papaioannou and an instrumental ensemble, the company will present a version of Dido and Aeneas where choruses have been re-harmonised, songs re-ordered and orchestration and musical style adjusted. Each evening a workshop, chaired by Professor Daniel Leech-Wilkinson, Professor of Music at King’s College London, will explore the processes involved in creating the performance.

Further information from the King's College London website.