THE FAIRY QUEEN (Glyndebourne Festival Opera)****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-esDHd6CPc&list=PLpmwWuIh57wY66Jq06IauzKw_EU_iFGAs

Available until: 30^th August, 5pm

The Fairy Queen is quite difficult to classify. The music was written by Henry Purcell as incidental music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and was played between the scenes. The score includes songs, but the singers don’t really have consistent characters or tell a story of their own. Many people call it a semi-opera, which probably also makes it a semi-play, but there is also dancing so is it also partly a ballet? Semi means half so I think if you include ballet, it’s a trient-opera, play and ballet. I’ve watched and I’m still not sure what I’d say it is.

DIDO AND AENEAS (Proms)****

 

By Imogen

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08kd5cq (Radio)

Available until: 6 October 2020

There isn’t a proper Proms season this year because of the stupid coronavirus messing up everything but Radio 3 have been broadcasting repeats of old Proms and I think it’s a good idea even if they’re not showing the Proms I really want to see again. But most of them are so long ago I can’t actually remember them so it’s not like I’m thinking “Oh no not that again.” This performance is from 2003. I’m sure I look grown-up enough to remember 2003 but I actually wasn’t born then.