Dido's Lament, arr. for cello

Описание: H. Purcell, Dido and Aeneas (Z. 626); Lament arr. for Cello

Luke Orth, Cello
Andrew Crust, Conductor
Lima Symphony Orchestra

In Virgil’s Aeneid, Aeneas had escaped Troy after the Greeks sacked it at the conclusion of the Trojan War. The Trojan warrior was destined by the gods to travel to Italy and lay the foundations for what would later become Rome. While on his way, a divine storm forced the exiles to land at Carthage. Aeneas met and quickly fell in love with Dido, the queen of Carthage. When the gods reminded Aeneas of his destiny, he made preparations to leave for Italy. Dido’s unsuccessful attempts to impel him to remain resulted in heartbreak, and she took her life with Aeneas’s sword. In Purcell’s opera, Dido instead died of a broken heart while singing this Lament.


The following are the words to this aria:

When I am laid, am laid in earth, May my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.


Painting: The Meeting of Dido and Aeneas by Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1766

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