THE WORLD'S FINEST OPERA,
BALLET, THEATRE AND MUSIC
Blow: Venus & Adonis / Purcell: Dido & Aeneas
Ida Ränzlöv (Venus / Dido); Bernt Ola Volungholen (Adonis / Aeneas); Christina Larsson Malmberg (Lady in Waiting / Second Muse / Belinda); Rupert Enticknap (Cupid / Sorceress); Lisa Carlioth (Shepherdess / First Muse); Mathilda Sidén Silfver (Shepherdess / First Huntsman / Third Muse); Mikael Stenbaek (Shepherd / Second Huntsman); Arash Azarbad (Shepherd / Third Huntsman)
Two classic court operas are brought together to tell the stories of love, be it between gods or royalty in the historic Confidencen Theatre, Sweden.
Venus & Adonis, composed in 1683 by John Blow, is considered the earliest example of English opera. It tells the enchanting story of two mythical lovers and their cruel fate in scenes reaching from light-hearted comedy to heartfelt despair.
Henry Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas from 1689 has become one of the most famous and beloved operas from the Baroque era, with its sumptuous music, dramatic plot and its themes of love, friendship, jealousy, and cruelty. The opera is perhaps best known for Dido’s painfully beautiful lament When I am Laid in Earth.
DVD
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/02/2023
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS Digital Surround 5.1
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OA1361D
BLU-RAY
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/02/2023
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS -HD Master Audio 5.1
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OABD7308D
Conductor(s):
Olof Boman
Olof Boman
Orchestra(s):
Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra
Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra
Artist(s):
Ida Ränzlöv; Bernt Ola Volungholen; Christina Larsson Malmberg; Rupert Enticknap; Lisa Carlioth; Mathilda Sidén Silfver; Mikael Stenbaek; Arash Azarbad; Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra; Olof Boman
Ida Ränzlöv; Bernt Ola Volungholen; Christina Larsson Malmberg; Rupert Enticknap; Lisa Carlioth; Mathilda Sidén Silfver; Mikael Stenbaek; Arash Azarbad; Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra; Olof Boman
"The performances throughout are enchanting, and the staging with its delicate flecks of fantasy and sheer cheek is a delight to behold. The small body of choral singers and the period-instrument orchestra are splendidly controlled by Olof Boman" (Musicweb International)
"William Relton, the director, never puts a foot wrong. Adonis is passionate, Venus playful and, at the end, distraught… The cast is excellent… Dido’s Lament is beautifully done, every phrase suffused with the warmth of Ränzlöv’s mezzo-soprano. EDITOR’S CHOICE " (Gramophone)
"All the principals are strong, but mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv stands out. Technically flawless, texturally lush and dramatically compelling, Ränzlöv unleashes the roiling passions of her two title characters... Olof Boman’s conducting, and the band’s zest, brilliantly deliver Blow’s and Purcell’s masterstrokes. PERFORMANCE 4*, RECORDING 4* " (BBC Music Magazine ★★★★)
"Ida Ränzlöv’s movement is unfailingly elegant, while her use of facial acting compels attention as an irresistibly coquettish Venus… The countertenor Rupert Enticknap’s Cupid and Sorceress are extremely well sung" (Opéra Magazine)
"Christer Nilsson's set design conjures up an eye-watering confection full of pastel colors and enchanting transformations...Swedish mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv is a shrewd, silken toned Venus, her flawless vocals caressing Blow's mouthwateringly melodic lines.
Ränzlöv's Dido is touching and deeply felt. Her flexible, wide-ranging mezzo is ravishing, culminating in a radiant account of the great lament "When I am laid in earth"....there's a wonderfully wily performance by Christina Larsson Malmberg as Belinda, Dido's artful lady-in-waiting. Her supple, bell-like soprano makes short work of tongue-twisters such as "Pursue thy conquest, love"...
Enticknap returns as a deliciously frumpy sorceress who quite literally sticks pins in Dido...He takes the tessitura in stride, singing with power, precision and a reasonable sense of comic timing.
...Olaf Boman leads the excellent Confidencen Festival Orchestra in a charmingly laid-back reading of the Blow and a thrusting account of the Purcell. His interpretation is full of imaginative touches, making the modest ensemble often sound considerably larger." (Opera News)
"William Relton, the director, never puts a foot wrong. Adonis is passionate, Venus playful and, at the end, distraught… The cast is excellent… Dido’s Lament is beautifully done, every phrase suffused with the warmth of Ränzlöv’s mezzo-soprano. EDITOR’S CHOICE " (Gramophone)
"All the principals are strong, but mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv stands out. Technically flawless, texturally lush and dramatically compelling, Ränzlöv unleashes the roiling passions of her two title characters... Olof Boman’s conducting, and the band’s zest, brilliantly deliver Blow’s and Purcell’s masterstrokes. PERFORMANCE 4*, RECORDING 4* " (BBC Music Magazine ★★★★)
"Ida Ränzlöv’s movement is unfailingly elegant, while her use of facial acting compels attention as an irresistibly coquettish Venus… The countertenor Rupert Enticknap’s Cupid and Sorceress are extremely well sung" (Opéra Magazine)
"Christer Nilsson's set design conjures up an eye-watering confection full of pastel colors and enchanting transformations...Swedish mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv is a shrewd, silken toned Venus, her flawless vocals caressing Blow's mouthwateringly melodic lines.
Ränzlöv's Dido is touching and deeply felt. Her flexible, wide-ranging mezzo is ravishing, culminating in a radiant account of the great lament "When I am laid in earth"....there's a wonderfully wily performance by Christina Larsson Malmberg as Belinda, Dido's artful lady-in-waiting. Her supple, bell-like soprano makes short work of tongue-twisters such as "Pursue thy conquest, love"...
Enticknap returns as a deliciously frumpy sorceress who quite literally sticks pins in Dido...He takes the tessitura in stride, singing with power, precision and a reasonable sense of comic timing.
...Olaf Boman leads the excellent Confidencen Festival Orchestra in a charmingly laid-back reading of the Blow and a thrusting account of the Purcell. His interpretation is full of imaginative touches, making the modest ensemble often sound considerably larger." (Opera News)
Ida Ränzlöv (Venus / Dido); Bernt Ola Volungholen (Adonis / Aeneas); Christina Larsson Malmberg (Lady in Waiting / Second Muse / Belinda); Rupert Enticknap (Cupid / Sorceress); Lisa Carlioth (Shepherdess / First Muse); Mathilda Sidén Silfver (Shepherdess / First Huntsman / Third Muse); Mikael Stenbaek (Shepherd / Second Huntsman); Arash Azarbad (Shepherd / Third Huntsman)
Two classic court operas are brought together to tell the stories of love, be it between gods or royalty in the historic Confidencen Theatre, Sweden.
Venus & Adonis, composed in 1683 by John Blow, is considered the earliest example of English opera. It tells the enchanting story of two mythical lovers and their cruel fate in scenes reaching from light-hearted comedy to heartfelt despair.
Henry Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas from 1689 has become one of the most famous and beloved operas from the Baroque era, with its sumptuous music, dramatic plot and its themes of love, friendship, jealousy, and cruelty. The opera is perhaps best known for Dido’s painfully beautiful lament When I am Laid in Earth.
DVD
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/02/2023
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS Digital Surround 5.1
Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OA1361D
BLU-RAY
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 01/02/2023
Sound Formats: LPCM 2.0 & DTS -HD Master Audio 5.1
Ratio: 16:9
Subtitles: EN, FR, DE, JP, KO
Catalogue Number: OABD7308D
Conductor(s):
Olof Boman
Olof Boman
Orchestra(s):
Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra
Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra
Artist(s):
Ida Ränzlöv; Bernt Ola Volungholen; Christina Larsson Malmberg; Rupert Enticknap; Lisa Carlioth; Mathilda Sidén Silfver; Mikael Stenbaek; Arash Azarbad; Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra; Olof Boman
Ida Ränzlöv; Bernt Ola Volungholen; Christina Larsson Malmberg; Rupert Enticknap; Lisa Carlioth; Mathilda Sidén Silfver; Mikael Stenbaek; Arash Azarbad; Confidencen Opera & Music Festival Orchestra; Olof Boman
"The performances throughout are enchanting, and the staging with its delicate flecks of fantasy and sheer cheek is a delight to behold. The small body of choral singers and the period-instrument orchestra are splendidly controlled by Olof Boman" (Musicweb International)
"William Relton, the director, never puts a foot wrong. Adonis is passionate, Venus playful and, at the end, distraught… The cast is excellent… Dido’s Lament is beautifully done, every phrase suffused with the warmth of Ränzlöv’s mezzo-soprano. EDITOR’S CHOICE " (Gramophone)
"All the principals are strong, but mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv stands out. Technically flawless, texturally lush and dramatically compelling, Ränzlöv unleashes the roiling passions of her two title characters... Olof Boman’s conducting, and the band’s zest, brilliantly deliver Blow’s and Purcell’s masterstrokes. PERFORMANCE 4*, RECORDING 4* " (BBC Music Magazine ★★★★)
"Ida Ränzlöv’s movement is unfailingly elegant, while her use of facial acting compels attention as an irresistibly coquettish Venus… The countertenor Rupert Enticknap’s Cupid and Sorceress are extremely well sung" (Opéra Magazine)
"Christer Nilsson's set design conjures up an eye-watering confection full of pastel colors and enchanting transformations...Swedish mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv is a shrewd, silken toned Venus, her flawless vocals caressing Blow's mouthwateringly melodic lines.
Ränzlöv's Dido is touching and deeply felt. Her flexible, wide-ranging mezzo is ravishing, culminating in a radiant account of the great lament "When I am laid in earth"....there's a wonderfully wily performance by Christina Larsson Malmberg as Belinda, Dido's artful lady-in-waiting. Her supple, bell-like soprano makes short work of tongue-twisters such as "Pursue thy conquest, love"...
Enticknap returns as a deliciously frumpy sorceress who quite literally sticks pins in Dido...He takes the tessitura in stride, singing with power, precision and a reasonable sense of comic timing.
...Olaf Boman leads the excellent Confidencen Festival Orchestra in a charmingly laid-back reading of the Blow and a thrusting account of the Purcell. His interpretation is full of imaginative touches, making the modest ensemble often sound considerably larger." (Opera News)
"William Relton, the director, never puts a foot wrong. Adonis is passionate, Venus playful and, at the end, distraught… The cast is excellent… Dido’s Lament is beautifully done, every phrase suffused with the warmth of Ränzlöv’s mezzo-soprano. EDITOR’S CHOICE " (Gramophone)
"All the principals are strong, but mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv stands out. Technically flawless, texturally lush and dramatically compelling, Ränzlöv unleashes the roiling passions of her two title characters... Olof Boman’s conducting, and the band’s zest, brilliantly deliver Blow’s and Purcell’s masterstrokes. PERFORMANCE 4*, RECORDING 4* " (BBC Music Magazine ★★★★)
"Ida Ränzlöv’s movement is unfailingly elegant, while her use of facial acting compels attention as an irresistibly coquettish Venus… The countertenor Rupert Enticknap’s Cupid and Sorceress are extremely well sung" (Opéra Magazine)
"Christer Nilsson's set design conjures up an eye-watering confection full of pastel colors and enchanting transformations...Swedish mezzo-soprano Ida Ränzlöv is a shrewd, silken toned Venus, her flawless vocals caressing Blow's mouthwateringly melodic lines.
Ränzlöv's Dido is touching and deeply felt. Her flexible, wide-ranging mezzo is ravishing, culminating in a radiant account of the great lament "When I am laid in earth"....there's a wonderfully wily performance by Christina Larsson Malmberg as Belinda, Dido's artful lady-in-waiting. Her supple, bell-like soprano makes short work of tongue-twisters such as "Pursue thy conquest, love"...
Enticknap returns as a deliciously frumpy sorceress who quite literally sticks pins in Dido...He takes the tessitura in stride, singing with power, precision and a reasonable sense of comic timing.
...Olaf Boman leads the excellent Confidencen Festival Orchestra in a charmingly laid-back reading of the Blow and a thrusting account of the Purcell. His interpretation is full of imaginative touches, making the modest ensemble often sound considerably larger." (Opera News)
