Cheltenham Bach Choir, Hannah Davey, Francesca Romana Saracino, William Morgan, Johnny Herford, Corelli Ensemble

The magical tragedy of Dido’s abandonment by Aeneas, an event perpetrated by the machinations of a sorceress and witch accomplices, prompted Henry Purcell to write some of the most glorious music of its or any day.

One of the first great English operas, Dido and Aeneas has a score that fizzes with energy, imagination, beauty and even comedy as a sailor sings of women!

The famous aria When I am laid in earth, also known as Dido’s lament, is just one highlight of this superb work.

Giacomo Carissimi was one of the most important figures of the early Baroque, and one of the first composers of oratorio.

Jephte is the biblical warrior who rashly promises to sacrifice the first thing he sees should he be victorious in battle: this turns out to be his beloved daughter. Jephte has an exquisite score, one of the earliest to use recitative to carry the story, with a narrator driving us towards the tragic conclusion.

This mini-oratorio deserves to be much better known - the humanity and pathos will take you on a heart-breaking journey.

Hannah Davey - soprano
Francesca Romana Saracino - mezzo soprano
William Morgan - tenor
Johnny Herford – baritone
Cheltenham Bach Choir
Corelli Ensemble
Director - Warwick Cole
David Crown – conductor