January31 2026 (Sat)
2:00 PM
2:00 PM
Dido and Aeneas
Opera by Henry Purcell
Estates Theatre - Prague Opera tickets
70 minutes | Opera and Ballet | Available
| Date: | January 31, 2026 | 14:00 (Sat) |
|---|---|
| Venue: | Estates Theatre - Prague Opera tickets |
| Duration: | 70 minutes |
| Intermission: | No |
| Status: | Available |
Ticket in your mobile device accepted
Dido and Aeneas: a gem of Baroque music, teeming with emotion and mystery
In English, surtitles in Czech, English
One of the oldest still widely performed and popular operas, the first world-class English opera ... These are among the attributes of Henry Purcell’s best-known work, whose genesis is not yet clear, a work that has not survived in its entirety. The opera was probably first performed in 1689 at the dance master and choreographer Josias Priest’s boarding school for young gentlewomen in Chelsea, London. Some scholars have, however, argued that Purcell wrote the piece for the English court, either for James II or, even earlier, for Charles II. Still others claim that the opera bears within a covert allegory, veiled in a mythological story, with the witches symbolising the Catholic Church, highly unpopular in the England of the time ...
Whatever the actual truth, great works possess the quality that they can be interpreted in multiple manners, as is the case of the opera Dido and Aeneas, based on Book 4 of Vergil’s epic poem The Aeneid, depicting the ill-fated love of Queen Dido, the legendary founder of Carthage, and Aeneas, a mythical Trojan hero, who, deceived by evil powers, abandons her. Purcell and his librettist, the poet Nahum Tate, did not aim to give a detailed account of the myth in the form of magnificent Baroque spectacle. Their opera is surprisingly intimate, spiritual and extremely melancholic. We could perhaps even say that the whole story only unfurls in the head of the title heroine, convinced that happiness and peace cannot be attained in life ...
Collegium Vocale 1704
National Theatre Orchestra
National Theatre Opera Ballet
Soloists
Important:
- The purchased tickets cannot be returned or exchanged
- No discounts are provided
- Theatre is a cultural institution. Please respect the common principles of appropriate behaviour and clothing.
- The program may be subject to change
- The price includes service fee of 3,7 € (100,- CZK)
Venue photo gallery
Estates Theatre - Prague Opera tickets
| Address: | Ovocný trh 1 , Praha 1 |
|---|---|
| Capacity: | 589 |
| Type: | Theatre |
| Winter heating: | Yes |
| Wheelchair access: | Yes |
The Estates Theatre is one of the most beautiful historical theatre buildings in Europe
The Estates Theatre is deeply linked with the name of W. A. Mozart. Besides other of his works, it was the venue of world premieres of two Mozart operas: Don Giovanni (on 29 October 1787 – conducted by the composer himself) and La clemenza di Tito (1791, to mark the coronation of Leopold II). Enjoy the festive atmosphere of this beautiful theatre in which W. A. Mozart received enthusiastic ovations after conducting his operas. The Estates Theatre is in operation continuously since 1783. It was built by enlightened and patriotically minded Count Nostitz Rieneck, who thus aimed to enhance the cultural life of Prague inhabitans.
His idea, that a generally accessible theatre is a moral institution demonstrating the cultural level of the nation, was in compliance with the spirit of the late 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, and the project of theatre was extremely important for Prague of that time. Although presenting plays in German language at first, the theatre soon started staging also Czech plays. In 1798 the Theatre was bought by the Czech Estates, hence its today´s name.
The Estates Theatre is inseparably linked with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The composer has visited Prague couple of times to compose and give concerts here, and in 1787 he presented his opera The Marriage of Figaro in the Estates Theatre.
Under the impression of its enthusiastic reception Mozart composed the Don Giovanni opera for Prague, and personally conducted its world premiere in the Estates Theatre. The opera was an immense success and that is how Don Giovanni and the Estates Theatre have entered the history...
The Estates Theatre was one of the locations in the famous film Amadeus by Miloš Forman. Although the name of Mozart shines the most brightly in the history of the theatre, the Estates Theatre allured many other distinct artists of Europe-wide significance.
Carl Maria von Weber was a musical director of the Theatre; the violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini gave a concert here; Arthur Rubinstein, Carl Goldmark and Gustav Mahler conducted at the theatre. Other famous personalities are i.e. the actors W. A. Iffland, F. Raimund, J. N. Nestroy, W. Scholze, I. Aldrige and many others.
The Estates Theatre was extremely important for the Czech theatre. From the pioneers such as the Thám brothers, to V. K. Klicpera, J. K. Tyl, J. J. Kollár, etc., the generations of leading creators and artists presented their plays here. The first Czech modern opera, Škroup’s The Tinker, was presented here in 1826.
The play Fidlovačka by J. K. Tyl and F. Škroup, premiered here, includes the song “Kde domov můj” (Where is My Home), which would later become the Czech national anthem. In the Estates Theatre you can see opera, drama and ballet performances.
How to get there:
- Accessibility by public transport:
metro A ( green line) or B (yellow line) - Můstek station - Nearest car parking:
Millenium Plaza, V Celnici 10, Prague 1, or Palladium or Kotva shopping malls on Náměstí Republiky