Fresh from performing the eponymous Hercules with us on tour, William Guanbo Su took a moment to share his TEC archive pick.
“For the archive feature, I would love to choose the 1989 recording of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Anne Sofie von Otter in the title role
This opera holds a very special meaning for me. It was the first opera I ever performed. I was a high school senior at the time, still a baritone, and had the great privilege of singing Aeneas. That experience opened the door to everything that followed.
I’m not someone who always remembers specific recordings, as I tend to listen to many different versions. But I remember this one vividly. The way The English Concert shaped Purcell’s orchestration truly defined for me what word painting can mean. How the orchestra breathes with the text, and how harmony and gesture illuminate every emotional turn.
When I first heard this recording at 18, I was struck by its beauty and its quiet desolation. Listening to it now, I’m even more moved by its elasticity and refinement. The way the phrasing gives life to the poetry, and how the atmosphere feels so immersive that it transports you back to 1688. There is something both intimate and epic in its impact.”
