# Dido and Aeneas discography

This is a discography of Dido and Aeneas, an opera by Henry Purcell. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London in the spring of 1689.

## Recordings

| Year | Cast: Dido, Belinda Aeneas, Sorceress | Conductor, opera house and orchestra | Label |
| 1935 | Nancy Evans Mary Hamlin Roy Henderson Mary Jarred | Clarence Raybould Boyd Neel String orchestra Charles Kennedy Scott's A Capella singers | Decca Cat: X 101-107 (shellac 78s) |
| 1945 | Joan Hammond Isobel Baillie Dennis Noble Edith Coates | Constant Lambert Philharmonia Orchestra and chorus | Opera d'Oro Cat: OPD-1220 |
| 1951 | Eleanor Houston Adele Leigh Henry Cummings Evelyn Cuthill | Jackson Gregory Stuart Chamber Orchestra and Chorus of London | Period Cat: SPLP 546 (LP) |
| | Irma Kolassi Gisèle Vivarelli Yvon le Marc'Hadour Marguerite Pifteau | Pierre Capdevielle Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Geneva Conservatoire chorus | Cascavelle Cat: VEL 3107 |
| | Kirsten Flagstad Maggie Teyte Thomas Hemsley Edith Coates | Geraint Jones Mermaid orchestra and chorus | Walhall Cat: WLCD0186 |
| 1952 | Kirsten Flagstad Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Thomas Hemsley Arda Mandikian | Geraint Jones Mermaid orchestra and chorus | EMI Cat: CDH7610062 |
| 1955 | Martha Mödl Dora Lindgreen Hermann Prey Gusta Hammer | Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt NWDR-Sinfonieorchester Hamburg Chor des Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunks Hamburg | UraCant Cat: 2008 |
| 1959 | Claire Watson Jeannette Sinclair Peter Pears Arda Mandikian | Benjamin Britten English Opera Group orchestra Purcell Singers | BBC Music Cat: BBCB 8003-2 |
| 1960 | Teresa Berganza Hanny Steffek Gérard Souzay Jane Berbié | Pierre Dervaux Orchestra and Chorus of the Aix-en-Provence Festival | Walhall Cat: WLCD0326 |
| 1961 | Janet Baker Patricia Clark Raimund Herincx Monica Sinclair | Anthony Lewis English Chamber Orchestra St. Anthony Singers | Decca Cat: 4663872 |
| 1963 | Mary Thomas Honor Sheppard Maurice Bevan Helen Watts | Alfred Deller Oriana orchestra and chorus | Vanguard Cat: 3003332 |
| 1965 | Victoria de los Ángeles Heather Harper Peter Glossop Patricia Johnson | John Barbirolli English Chamber Orchestra Ambrosian Singers | EMI Cat: CDM 5 65664 2 |
| 1967 | Tatiana Troyanos Sheila Armstrong Barry McDaniel Patricia Johnson | Charles Mackerras Chamber orchestra of the North German Radio Monteverdi Chor | Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 447 148-2 |
| 1970 | Josephine Veasey Helen Donath John Shirley-Quirk Elizabeth Bainbridge | Colin Davis Academy of St Martin in the Fields John Alldis Choir | Philips Cat: 4428334 (CD) Pentatone Cat: 827949023064 (SACD) |
| 1971 | Shirley Verrett Helen Donath Dan Iordăchescu Oralia Domínguez | Raymond Leppard Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI Torino Ambrosian Singers | Arkadia Cat: 619 |
| 1975 | Janet Baker Norma Burrowes Peter Pears Anna Reynolds | Steuart Bedford Aldeburgh Festival strings orchestra London Opera chorus | Decca Cat: 468 561-2 |
| 1977 | Tatiana Troyanos Felicity Palmer Richard Stilwell Alfreda Hodgson | Raymond Leppard English Chamber Orchestra English Chamber chorus | Erato Cat: 2292-45263-2 |
| 1979 | D'Anna Fortunato Nancy Armstrong Mark Baker Bruce Fithian | Joël Cohen Boston Camerata | LP: Harmonia Mundi Cat: HM 10.067 |
| 1981 | Emma Kirkby Judith Nelson David Thomas Jantina Noorman | Andrew Parrott Taverner Consort and Players | Chandos Cat: CHAN 8306 |
| 1982 | Ann Murray Rachel Yakar Anton Scharinger Trudeliese Schmidt | Nikolaus Harnoncourt Concentus Musicus Wien Arnold Schoenberg Choir | Teldec Cat: 4509-93686-2 |
| 1985 | Guillemette Laurens Jill Feldman Philippe Cantor Dominique Visse | William Christie Les Arts Florissants | Harmonia Mundi Cat: HMC 905173 |
| | Teresa Berganza Danielle Borst Per-Arne Wahlgren Glenys Linos | Michel Corboz Ensemble instrumental de Lausanne Lausanne City Opera chorus | Erato Cat: 2292-45263-2 |
| | Jessye Norman Marie McLaughlin Thomas Allen Patricia Kern | Raymond Leppard English Chamber Orchestra | Philips Cat: 416 299-2 |
| 1988 | Anne Sofie von Otter Lynne Dawson Stephen Varcoe Nigel Rogers | Trevor Pinnock The English Concert | Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 427 624-1 |
| 1989 | Della Jones Donna Deam Peter Harvey Susan Bickley | Ivor Bolton St. James’s Baroque Players and chorus | Teldec Cat: 4509-91191-2 |
| | Rachel Ann Morgan Camille van Lunen David Barick Myra Kroese | Roderick Shaw Academy of the Begynhof Amsterdam | Globe Cat: 5020 |
| 1990 | Carolyn Watkinson Ruth Holton George Mosley Teresa Shaw | John Eliot Gardiner English Baroque Soloists Monteverdi Choir | Philips Cat: 432 114-2 |
| 1992 | Catherine Bott Emma Kirkby John Mark Ainsley David Thomas | Christopher Hogwood Academy of Ancient Music | Decca Cat: 475 7195 |
| 1993 | Lorraine Hunt Lisa Saffer Michael Dean Ellen Rabiner | Nicholas McGegan Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Clare College, Cambridge chorus | Harmonia Mundi Cat: HMU 907110 |
| 1994 | Emily Van Evera Ben Parry Janet Lax Haden Andrews | Andrew Parrott Taverner Consort and Players | BBC Music Magazine Cat: BBC MM129 Sony Classical, Cat: SK 62993 Avie, Cat:AV2309 |
| | Kym Amps Anna Crookes David van Asch Sarah Connolly | David van Asch The Scholars Baroque Ensemble | Naxos Cat: 8.553108 |
| | Véronique Gens Sophie Marin-Degor Nathan Berg Claire Brua | William Christie Les Arts Florissants | Erato Cat: 4509-98477-2 |
| 1995 | Jennifer Lane Cassandra Hoffman Michael Brown Desiree Halac | Bradley Brookshire I Musici di San Cassiano | Vox Cat: 7518 |
| | Maria Ewing Rebecca Evans Karl Daymond Sally Burgess | Richard Hickox Collegium Musicum 90 | Chandos Cat: CHAN 0586 |
| | Jennifer Lane Ann Monoyios Russell Braun Jennifer Lane | Jeanne Lamon Tafelmusik | CBC Records Cat: SMCD 5147 |
| 1996 | Nancy Maultsby Susannah Waters Russell Braun Laura Tucker | Martin Pearlman Boston Baroque | Telarc Cat: 80424 |
| 1998 | Lynne Dawson Rosemary Joshua Gerald Finley Susan Bickley | René Jacobs Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment | Harmonia Mundi Cat: HMX 2991683 |
| 2000 | Laura Pudwell Salomé Haller Peter Harvey Laura Pudwell | Hervé Niquet Le Concert Spirituel | Glossa Cat: GCD 921601 |
| 2002 | Evelyn Tubb Julia Matthews Thomas Meglioranza Evelyn Tubb | Predrag Gosta New Trinity Baroque | Edition Lilac Cat: 200204-2 |
| 2003 | Susan Graham Camilla Tilling Ian Bostridge Felicity Palmer | Emmanuelle Haïm Le Concert d'Astrée European Voices | Virgin Veritas Cat: 5 45605 2 |
| 2004 | Nicola Wemyss Francine van der Heijden Matthew Baker Helen Rasker | Jed Wentz Musica ad Rhenum | Brilliant Cat: 92464 |
| 2007 | Julianne Baird Andrea Lauren Brown Timothy Bentch Tatyana Rashkovsky | Valentin Radu Ama Deus Baroque Ensemble | Lyrichord Cat: LEMS 8057 |
| 2008 | Sarah Connolly Lucy Crowe Gerald Finley Patricia Bardon | Steven Devine and Elizabeth Kenny Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Choir of the Enlightenment | Chandos Cat: CHAN 0757 |
| | Simone Kermes Deborah York Dimitris Tiliakos Oleg Ryabets | Teodor Currentzis MusicAeterna The New Siberian Singers | Alpha Cat: 140 |
| 2009 | Solenn' Lavanant Linke Yeree Suh Alejandro Meerapfel Fabian Schofrin | Leonardo García Alarcón Cappella Mediterranea La Nouvelle Menestrandie | Ambronay Cat: AMY022 |
| 2010 | Malena Ernman Judith Van Wanroij Christopher Maltman Hilary Summers | William Christie Les Arts Florissants | FRA Musica Cat: FRA001 (DVD) & FRA501 (Blu-ray) |
| 2014 | Rachael Lloyd Elin Manahan Thomas Robert Davies Roderick Morris | Christopher Monks Armonico Consort | signum Cat: SIGCD417 |

## Critical attention

In Opera on Record, ed. Alan Blyth (Hutchinson & Co./Beaufort Books, Inc., 1983), Graham Sheffield (pp. 11–25) was one of the first authors to supply a comparative discography, praising, for period authenticity, the recordings by Cohen (1978) and Parrott (1981). He found flaws in nearly every recording, but also particular assets, e.g. Roy Henderson in the 1935 recording, Isobel Baillie in 1945, the conducting of Geraint Jones in 1951, several aspects of Lewis's 1961 recording, Peter Glossop in 1965, Mackerras' theatrical instinct in 1967, and Colin Davis' "immense vitality and musicianship" in 1970; apart from Veasey's Dido, he finds sufficient quality in all the vocal contributions to recommend this last as the most important 'non-period' recording.
The Haïm recording (2004 in US) received a highly complimentary review from Allan Kozinn, saying it surpassed Parrott's 1981 production, the latter "[u]ntil now, the best". Kozinn noted orchestration and vocal range innovations by Haïm, as well as strong major and minor cast members.