One of the first operas deserving of the name, Didone is our first surviving musical version of the famous episode in Virgil's Aeneid where the Trojan hero loves and then cruelly leaves the noble Dido. Cavalli learnt at the feet of Monteverdi, and his dramatic transformation of the story is all the more expressive for its intimacy, worthy of the examples set by his master.

At the centre of this bold and simple staging – the first opera production by comic actor Clément Hervieu-Léger – is the Queen of Carthage herself, sung with uncompromising intensity by Anna Bonitatibus. William Christie and his singers and players show themselves entirely attuned to the world of Cavalli, where meaning and music fuse.

Cast:
- Didone: Anna Bonitatibus
- Enea: Kresimir Spicer
- Iarba: Xavier Sabata
- Ecuba: Maria Streijffert
- Cassandra: Katherine Watson

Director: Clément Hervieu-Léger

Recorded live at the Théâtre de Caen, October 2011.

"William Christie... a distribution of rare perfection to the Theatre Caen." - www.lexpress.fr

"Les Arts Florissants are on great form and sound glorious." - Opéra Magazine

Running time: 176 minutes
Subtitles: EN/FR/DE
Sound format: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS