Henry Purcell - Dido and Aeneas (Joyce DiDonato; Michael Spyres; Maxim Emelyanychev)

Information

Composer: Henry Purcell

• Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626

Joyce DiDonato; Michael Spyres; Fatma Said

Carlotta Colombo; Hugh Cutting; Beth Taylor

Laurence Kilsby; Alena Dantcheva; Anna Piroli

Il Pomo d'Oro

Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Warner Classics/Erato

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Internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano and Grammy Award-winner Joyce DiDonato stars as Dido in this recording captured at Essen Philharmonie, part of a European tour that included prestigious venues such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Teatro Real de Madrid. The whole Dido & Aeneas team is a terrific ensemble featuring tenor Michael Spyres (Aeneas), soprano Fatma Said (Belinda), Beth Taylor (Sorceress),... and Il Pomo d’Oro, under the baton of Maxim Emelyanychev.

Joyce DiDonato (b. 1969), the Kansas-born mezzo-soprano, is a multi-Grammy and Olivier Award winner acclaimed as one of the most powerful singers of her generation. Renowned for Handel, Mozart, and bel canto roles, she has also excelled in major productions from Les Troyens to Dead Man Walking. A celebrated recitalist, she has appeared worldwide with leading orchestras under conductors including Muti, Rattle, Gardiner, and Nézet-Séguin. Her 2024/25 season features Handel’s Theodora in Madrid, a European recital tour, debuts with major orchestras, U.S. collaborations with Kings Return, and premieres of new works by Rachel Portman and Kevin Puts. An exclusive Erato artist, her award-winning recordings affirm her global influence.

Michael Spyres (b. 1979) is an American baritenor acclaimed for his mastery of bel canto and French grand opera. A Missouri native, he trained in Vienna and gained international recognition in 2008 with Rossini’s Otello at the Rossini in Wildbad festival. Since then, he has sung leading roles at major houses including La Scala, the Royal Opera House, Opéra-Comique, Bordeaux, Barcelona’s Liceu, and the Metropolitan Opera. His repertoire spans Rossini, Mozart, Meyerbeer, Berlioz, Offenbach, and Adam. A prolific recording artist, his albums include Baritenor (2021) and In the Shadows (2024). Spyres also serves as Artistic Director of Ozarks Lyric Opera.