I think it gave a fair idea of what the fully staged show will be like. There was a fair bit of drama and some very fine singing together with sensitive accompaniment from Christopher Bagan. There was some serious witchiness from Danielle MacMillan and Cynthia Smithers, more dance and Mireille with “Thanks to these lonesome vales” before a very dramatic account of the final confrontation between the lovers and Dido’s famous lament. They wre joined by Colion Ainsworth (Aeneas) for “see, your royal guest appears” followed by the triumphing dance by two members of the OA ballet. We got Meghan Lindsay (Dido) and Mireille Asselin (Belinda) with the opening duet.
He provided a good linking narrative situating each excerpt in the context of the work together with some general remarks about the nature and origin of the piece. Something between a performance of excerpts and a working rehearsal it featured Marshall Pynkoski introducing a series of excerpts for both singers (in rehearsal dress) and dancers (in costume). Wednesday’s RBA concert was a preview of Opera Atelier’s upcoming production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.