Marks the 300th anniversary of the publication of the libretto which celebrates the ascension of William and Mary to the English throne.

Reference note:
The National Museum of Women in the Arts states: “Dido and Aeneas celebrates the 300th anniversary of the Baroque opera by Henry Purcell, which was first performed in London in 1689. Nahum Tate’s libretto tells the drama of Dido, the betrayed and abandoned queen of Carthage who throws herself on a funerary pyre as the ship of her lover, Aeneas, leaves the harbor.

Each scene of the opera has text from the libretto sewn into the accordion book structure. The dark sky reflects the turbulent feelings of the despairing queen; the tops of the trees are symbolic of the grove where the lovers meet; and the masts of the ships signal the departure of Aeneas. The last section of the book takes us back to the royal palace, where the story begins, the sky in Carthage once again quiet. The book includes a CD of the opera performed by the Taverner Choir and Taverner Players”. The colophon states that "The book can be stood in a line or in a star-circle shape."

Exhibition notes:
Item 150 on Artists' Books in the Ginsberg Collection, with some South African Books from Other Collections. Johannesburg Art Gallery. 25 August to 27 October 1996.

leporello

JGCBA, WAM

24 September – 13 December 2024

Ref: GB/6359