A lot can be said of the British "Masques" that were plays by the court in the 17th century England. This is first and foremost the predecessor of the opera, but also a lot of plays, for example "Romeo and Juliet" by Shakespeare.
The masks contained short interludes with music, masquerades and dance. Purcell and his teacher John Blow made these into mini-operas in the 1680-90's where the plots are distilled down to small tableaux. Their music are among the most beautiful and mot expressive that were written in the early history of English opera.
Programme
- John Blow's «Venus og Adonis»
- Henry Purcell's «Dioclesian»
Contributors
Jadran Duncumb, artistic leader og lute
Norwegian Baroque Ensemble's vokal ensemble
Norwegian Baroque Ensemble
Read more and buy your tickets
Practical information
For security reasons, the University Aula has mandatory coat check. We recommend arriving well before the event starts.