Opera Atelier comes again with a double-bill of Henry Purcell¡¯s Dido and Aeneas and Marc-Antoine Charpentier¡¯s Actéon, two operas that demonstrate 17th century Europe¡¯s obsession with ¡°theatre as storytelling.¡±
The double-bill will run Feb 8, 9, and 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Opera Theater, Seoul Arts Center.

The tragic story of Dido, Queen of Carthage and her lover Aeneas
Opera Atelier¡¯s majestic production of Dido and Aeneas was presented in Toronto in 1994, and quickly became a signature piece for the company on the international opera scene.
Dido and Aeneas tells the tragic story of Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and her ill-fated love affair with the Trojan hero, Aeneas. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas and a small band of followers set sail to found a new city. En route, he meets and falls in love with Dido.
Their love affair ends abruptly when Aeneas is ordered by the gods to leave and fulfill his destiny . the founding of Rome.
The cast features soprano Monica Whicher (Dido), baritone Curtis Sullivan (Aeneas) soprano Jennie Such (Belinda, Dido¡¯s confidant), soprano Carla Huhtanen (First Lady/First Witch), mezzo-soprano Stephanie Novacek (Sorceress), mezzo-soprano Vilma Vitols (Second Witch/ Mercury) and tenor Michiel Schrey (Sailor).



Mythological story of the young hunter Actéon
Actéon, a jewel-like creation from the court of the Sun King, was last presented in Toronto by Opera Atelier in 1998. This ¡°wrong place at the wrong time¡± tale is taken from Ovid¡¯s Metamorphoses and recounts the tragic history of the young Theban hunter Actéon who accidentally stumbles upon the goddess Diana while she is bathing. She retaliates by transforming him into a stag, and his own men and hounds hunt him to death.

Comic, ironic, sexy and deeply tragic, Actéon features soprano Carla Huhtanen in the title role, soprano Jennie Such (Diana), mezzo-soprano Vilma Vitols (Hyale), and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Novacek (Juno). Actéon will be sung. Both productions are designed by Gerard Gauci (sets), Dora Rust D¡¯Eye (costumes) and Kevin Fraser (lighting) with direction by Marshall Pynkoski and will feature Artists of Atelier Ballet choreographed by Jeannette Zingg. Conductor David Fallis leads Camerata Antiqua Seoul and the National Chorus of Korea.


¡°A feast of extraordinary aural and visual beauty...
a prodigiously inspired conception.¡± - London Times