WA Opera has an original operatic experience in mind as Humphrey Bower stages an evening inspired by Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Performed amid the glamorous surrounds of the Government House Ballroom and set around a long-table-styled dinner, it’s ideal for friends. The origins of what’s often called the earliest opera in English lie buried in the recesses of history, but Nahum Tate’s lively libretto and Purcell’s kaleidoscopic score make it not just the first, but one of the finest of its kind. Ashlyn Tymms sings the Carthaginian queen, with Lachlann Lawton as the Trojan prince who loves and leaves her. Christopher van Tuinen and Bayden Adams conduct the UWA Chamber Orchestra.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

The devastating heartache of Purcell’s beautiful 1689 masterpiece fills Government House Ballroom at an exclusive evening of dinner and performance. Dido, the Queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, the Trojan Prince, are torn apart when witches hatch an evil plan to destroy them. Known for its exquisitely tender aria Dido’s Lament, this moving opera is filled with joy and sorrow set to pierce your heart and will transport you to another time and place.