Der Leuchtturm / Dido und Aeneas

In 1900, three keepers disappear without a trace from a remote lighthouse in the north of Scotland. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies based his chamber opera "The Lighthouse" (1980) on this unresolved incident, which retraces the events in a mixture of documentation and vision of what actually happened at the time. Maxwell Davies' composition ranges from the roaring waves surrounding the lighthouse to the chant-like arguments between the three keepers Sandy, Blazes and Arthur that lead to the catastrophe.

Aeneas' arrival at Dido's court makes big waves. The Trojan sailor makes the heart of the Queen of Carthage beat faster - and Aeneas also returns her love. However, the dream of eternal happiness proves to be a fading illusion after an evil sorceress intervenes... Henry Purcell's intimate and poignant tale of Greek mythology was one of the most moving laments in the history of musical theatre in 1689.