From the simple act of biting into a juicy apple to the complexity of an orgasm: the pursuit of pleasure is something that concerns us all. The concept has various dimensions, including from a woman’s perspective. Traditionally, the female body was often an object for the pleasure of another. Fortunately, women today can express their own desires. How do contemporary women deal with the complexity of this experience?

Bittersweet fruit is a performance by the duo Sine Sole Sileo, formed by the Spanish recorder player and vocalist Irene Sorozábal Moreno and the Cretan harpsichordist Katerina Orfanoudaki, featuring musicians from the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Together, they explore the concept of pleasure through early Baroque music as well as their own compositions and improvisations.

‘When I am laid in earth.’ Who isn’t familiar with Dido’s gorgeous lament? Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas tells the story of Queen Dido and her love for the hero Aeneas. Through the spells cast by witches, she is separated from him and dies of a broken heart—but not before she has sung her magnificent song. Director Peter Leung leads the young cast and the singers of the National Youth Choir.

Michael Gieler, artistic director of Music Stages: ‘With our production of *Dido*, we want to connect the past and the present. Our version references the opera’s premiere at an English girls’ school. At the same time, a newly written prologue by poet Julia-Beth Harris and composer Meriç Artaç firmly anchors the action in the present. This creates a modern story about the tension between power and powerlessness, between a sense of duty and passion.’

 

"Dido and Aeneas" is made possible in part by the Prince Bernhard Cultural Fund, Société Gavigniès, and