Desire, obsession and doomed love: Oper Frankfurt’s striking double bill brings together two one-act operas separated by more than 200 years of musical history, yet united in their searing explorations of human relationships.

Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas is a poignant masterpiece of early English opera that features some of the composer’s most heartfelt music. After reluctantly falling in love with the warrior Aeneas as he travels home from the Trojan Wars, Dido is brutally rejected when he is later deceived into leaving her.

Bartók’s hugely powerful opera Bluebeard’s Castle depicts the tragic Judith obsessively opening a series of mysterious doors in her recently betrothed’s castle to discover the fate of his former wives. In a sumptuous score, Bartók paints vivid musical pictures of the castle’s sinister rooms, while also conveying the psychological subtleties of his two protagonists.

The daring, visually arresting productions by Australian director Barrie Kosky combine intimacy and grandeur, and conductor Constantinos Carydis leads an exceptional cast of acclaimed soloists.

‘enchantingly poetic imagery… and beautiful sound’
SWR 2 / Journal Am Mittage

‘simply fantastic’
Süddeutsche Zeitung

'heart rending... as moving a conclusion to the opera as I ever expect to see'

The Herald

4 Stars- The Times

4 Stars- The Scotsman

4 Stars- The Guardian