Dido y Eneas © Universidad de los Andes de Colombia

Considered the first English national opera and one of the most important in the Baroque, Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell is presented in two unique functions this September 14 and 15 at the Teatro Colón in Bogotá, with the scenic direction of Pedro Salazar and under the baton of Rondy Torres.

The second title of the opera season of the Teatro Colón in Bogotá is Dido and Aeneas by composer Henry Purcell. This production of the Opera Workshop of the Universidad de los Andes de Colombia, will be under the stage direction of Pedro Salazar and the musical direction of Rondy Torres, along with the participation of the lyric musicians Mónica Davilov and Andrés Silva.

Based on the work The Aeneid that tells the loves of the legendary Dido, queen of Carthage, and the Trojan prince Aeneas. When the hero must leave upon receiving the call of the gods to found a new city, Rome. After the departure of Aeneas of Carthage, Queen Dido falls into a deep despair that leads her to immolate herself.

The cast consists of the mezzo-soprano Monica Danilov as Dido Queen of Carthage; the tenor Andrés Silva Belinda in the role of Aeneas the Trojan prince; as the Lady of Dido’s company the soprano Carolina Plata; in the role of Second Lady and Witch the soprano Mónica López; as the Sorceress the mezzo-soprano Claudia Grenier; as Witch the soprano Valeria Bibliowicz; as Spirit the baritone Luis Mora; and in the role of Marino the tenor Emilio Anzola.

Dido y Eneas © Universidad de los Andes de Colombia

The interest of the Universidad de los Andes to carry out this production arises when studying the musical and dramatic structure that Purcell developed in Dido and Aeneas, and which is considered the first English national opera. The model developed in this opera became the object of study for Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), who inspired it developed his most recognized chamber operas such as The Rape of Lucretia and The Turn of the Screw, presented last week in this same stage under the scenic direction of Ramiro Gutiérrez. 

In this assembly of the Opera Workshop of the University of the Andes students, professors and graduates of the Department of Music participate, along with prominent Colombian musicians dedicated to the interpretation of Baroque music, also involves an interdisciplinary work of different faculties of the university such as the Design Department, the Performing Arts Area and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Despite being the masterpiece of Purcell and one of the great musical creations of history, it went almost unnoticed after its premiere in the spring of 1689. In fact, it was not interpreted again until 1700, when it was represented as an addition to aversion of Custom-made Shakespeare, at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields2 Theater.

The opera Dido and Aeneas will be performed on September 14 at 7:30 pm and September 15 at 5:00 pm Tickets can be obtained through www.tuboleta.com, at TuBoleta points and at the box office Teatro Colón. 

About Pedro Salazar, Scenic Director

He is theater, opera and musical theater director. He began his career in opera as an assistant to French director Patrice Chéreau at the opera Tristán e Isolda by Richard Wagner at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 2007 under the baton of maestro Daniel Barenboim. For the Ópera de Colombia he directed Don Pasquale de Gaetano Donizetti (2011) and La Boheme de Giacomo Puccini (2012), as well as Magic Flute WA Mozart’s for the XIX Opera Festival to the Park in 2015. He directed the musical on themes of the Colombian Caribbean María Barilla by Leonardo Gómez, who inaugurated the XIII Ibero-American Theater Festival of Bogotá in 2012. He also directed the musical The Little Shop of Horror by Menken and Ashman (Arlequin Theater, 2008) and was part of the management team Cabaret (National Theater , 2006). In 2008 he founded The Stable Company, a group committed to generating a stable exercise for theater, opera and musical theater artists.

His most recent works are Macbeth (Teatro Colón – Festival of Classical Theater of Almagro), Othello, The neighbors above Cesc Gay, Interviews by Michael Frayn, The shape of things by Neil Labute, The Pillowman by Martin MacDonagh and Life It’s dream Calderón de la Barca’s.

In addition, he developed the theatrical lyrical show Will we have to sing in difficult times? in collaboration Martha Senn and Laura García, co-production of Teatro Mayor and Teatro Colón (2016), Magic Flute WA Mozart’s in co-production with UniAndes and UniNorte, (2015-16), Trial by Jury by Gilbert and Sullivan (in coproduction with UniAndes (2014), and The Story of Soldador Igor Stravinsky and CF Ramuz in association with the Colombian Symphony Orchestra and the Free Theater (2009) In 2017 he presented the opera Florence in the Amazon by Mexican composer Daniel Catán in the 19th century Opera Festival to the Park, the success of this production made it worthy of an invitation to the XXI Amazon Opera Festival (FAO) to present this opera in May 2018 at the Teatro Amazonas de Manaos.On his return, Florence in the Amazon made part of the programming of the Teatro Colón de Bogotá for its 2018 season.

Salazar trained as a stage director at Columbia University in New York and at Jacques Lecoq School in Paris. He is currently the area director of Performing Arts from the Universidad de los Andes, and has taught theater and Theater History at the Central University / Free Theater, National Theater House School and Purchase College (New York). He has also been a visiting professor at Rutgers University (New Jersey), and Columbia University (New York).

About Rondy Torres, Musical Director 

He is a Doctor in Music and Musicology from the University Paris 4 – Sorbonne. Higher Education Diploma in Analysis and Musical Culture of the National Superior Conservatory of Dance and Music of Paris – CNSMDP. He studied orchestra conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. As a musicologist, he has specialized in the recovery of the nineteenth-century Colombian repertoire, in particular the opera and music of the Archive of the Cathedral of Bogotá. As director, he has directed the operas of Bogota’s Ponce de León Ester, The mysterious castle and Florinda, as well as magic flute Mozart’s. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Music of the Universidad de los Andes.