Baroque Opera in Ukrainian Modern Staging: Features of Interpretation From the Standpoint of Historically Informed Performance as Exemplified by Henry Purcell’s "Dido And Aeneas" Opera Performance

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to highlight the Ukrainian experience of historically informed performance in the realm of musical theatre as exemplified by the staging of Henry Purcell’s opera “Dido and Aeneas” (Kyiv, 2017). The applied research methodology is interdisciplinary, covering aspects of musicology, cultural studies, and theatre history. General scholarly and special methods are used: historical and cultural; method of historiographical analysis; descriptive; interpretive; comparative; methods of holistic, and musicological analysis. Scientific novelty. The main approaches in interpreting baroque opera are highlighted: authentic and directorial. Dramaturgical and stylistic features of “Dido and Aeneas” are characterised in the context of Western European baroque opera culture of the 17th century. Based on the research of Western and Ukrainian scholars, the leading principles of historically informed performance regarding the implementation of the musical component of an opera work (deciphering musical notation, use of ancient instruments, specifics of vocal and instrumental intonation) are defined. Conclusions. It is clarified that Ukrainian directors follow the basic principles of historically informed performance in interpreting the musical component of the work. The analysis of the direction of the performance reveals a modernised approach to the interpretation of figurative roles and stenography solutions. The specifics of the staging as a phenomenon of historically informed performance in the conditions of the modern director’s theatre are revealed.