OCTOBER 2005

A Conversation with Chen Shi-Zheng

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Handel and Haydn: How can a queen who's so proud and powerful become so vulnerable?

CSZ: To be in love is to be vulnerable. You give up your life for someone else. The tragedy of Dido is that her love for Aeneas is not returned equally. Dido is a Queen, a woman of great pride and dignity. Her love for Aeneas throws this all away. It causes her to be humiliated when Aeneas leaves her.

Handel and Haydn: And this humiliation compels her to take her life in such a public way?

CSZ: The rejection is so public, it is simply too much for Dido to take. In her death, she wants to reclaim her honor. For her, it is a demonstration of her strength and vigor.

Handel and Haydn: What is the role of the chorus in this production?

CSZ: They are the storytellers, but they are more than that: they offer commentary, they act as witnesses. In this opera they are the voices of both sides of human nature.

Handel and Haydn: Is that what makes it very contemporary?

CSZ: The singers always react to what’s going on. You’re moved by them because it's unclear if they are good or evil. The staging keeps the chorus very much a part of the action throughout the entire opera.

Handel and Haydn: What motivates you as you plan for the staging?

CSZ: It’s just one of the most beautiful operas that there is. The music is so wonderful; it moves me every time I hear it. The last aria (Dido’s Lament) always haunts me. When it is through you feel like your heart has sunk.

Everything I am trying to do in the production focuses on a new way to tell this story and make it compelling for contemporary audiences. I want people to feel moved, shocked and haunted by this love story. It has to be relevant. Not just like watching a period opera but like experiencing incredible theater.