Remarkable Women Take Center Stage
A thought-provoking double bill pairs works written nearly three hundred years apart, each exploring remarkable women and timeless themes that remain all too relevant today.
The journey begins with one of opera’s earliest masterpieces, Purcell’s poignant Dido and Aeneas, which recounts the tragic love story of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and Trojan hero Aeneas. It's a union compelled by political alliance, ignited by undeniable passion, and thwarted by sorcery and duplicity.
After intermission, travel to ancient Rome for The Rape of Lucretia. With its ingenious score and potent, timely story, it brings issues of corruption, control, and abuse of power to the forefront.
*Shepherd School of Music alumnus
This production will last approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes, including a 30-minute intermission.
Before the Show
Join us in Tudor Patrons’ Lounge on the parterre level one hour before curtain time for an insightful look into the operas being performed, led by Scott McGill (Deedee McMurtry Professor, Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Cultures) on Friday and Danielle Ward-Griffin (Assistant Professor of Musicology) on Sunday, introduced by Joshua Winograde (Director of Opera Studies).
Available to all opera ticketholders on a first-come, first-served basis.
Repertoire
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Britten: The Rape of Lucretia
Sung in English with English surtitles.
-This production contains adult content and is not suitable for all audiences.
-Please note that Dido & Aeneas contains flashing lights.
Artists
American conductor Benjamin Manis will be marking a successful end of his tenure as an Associate Conductor of the Utah Symphony in the summer of 2023. During his time with the orchestra, he led performances on tour throughout the state of Utah as well as at Abravanel Hall and the Deer Valley Music Festival. Before moving to Salt Lake City, Mr. Manis spent three seasons as Resident Conductor of the Houston Grand Opera, making his debut with Verdi’s Rigoletto. Other highlights of his time in Houston include performances of Carmen, Romeo et Juliette and The Snowy Day. He led 4 world premieres, among them the 2020 world premiere of Marian’s Song with the subsequent HGO Digital filmed version and Miller Outdoor Theatre performances of the same work. Mr. Manis returned to HGO in the 22/23 season to lead productions of Tosca and El Milagro del Recuerdo to critical acclaim.
R.B. Schlather is an American artist and opera director, associated with immersive installations and unconventional stagings that push the boundaries of traditional operatic performance. His work has been praised for creating new and engaging experiences for audiences, while also challenging the norms of the operatic art form. In 2023 he was profiled in the New York Times as one of the American opera directors bringing “fresh visions to Europe’s opera stages.” He made his European debut at Oper Frankfurt in 2019 with a critically acclaimed production of Handel’s Tamerlano, followed by productions of Cimarosa’s L’Italiana in Londra (recorded for DVD by Naxos) in 2021, and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in 2022. In 2017, his site-specific, community-cast production of Virgil Thompson and Gertrude Stein’s The Mother Of Us All for the historic Hudson Opera House was named among the Best Musical Performances 2017 by the New York Times. Hudson Hall has since commissioned a series of Handel operas from Schlather, beginning with Rodelinda in October 2023.