This is a discography of Dido and Aeneas , an opera by Henry Purcell. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London in the spring of 1689.
| Year | Cast: Dido, Belinda Aeneas, Sorceress  | Conductor, opera house and orchestra  | Label | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 |  Nancy Evans  Mary Hamlin Roy Henderson Mary Jarred  |  Clarence Raybould  Boyd Neel String orchestra Charles Kennedy Scott's A Capella singers  | Decca Cat: X 101-107 (shellac 78s) [1]  | 
| 1945 |  Joan Hammond  Isobel Baillie Dennis Noble Edith Coates  |  Constant Lambert  Philharmonia Orchestra and chorus  | Opera d'Oro Cat: OPD-1220  | 
| 1951 | Eleanor Houston Adele Leigh Henry Cummings Evelyn Cuthill  | Jackson Gregory Stuart Chamber Orchestra and Chorus of London  | Period Cat: SPLP 546 (LP)  | 
| Irma Kolassi Gisèle Vivarelli Yvon le Marc'Hadour Marguerite Pifteau  |  Pierre Capdevielle  Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Geneva Conservatoire chorus  | Cascavelle Cat: VEL 3107  | |
|  Kirsten Flagstad  Maggie Teyte Thomas Hemsley Edith Coates  | Geraint Jones Mermaid orchestra and chorus  | Walhall Cat: WLCD0186  | |
| 1952 | Kirsten Flagstad Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Thomas Hemsley Arda Mandikian  | Geraint Jones Mermaid orchestra and chorus  | EMI Cat: CDH7610062  | 
| 1955 |  Martha Mödl  Dora Lindgreen Hermann Prey Gusta Hammer  |  Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt  NWDR-Sinfonieorchester Hamburg Chor des Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunks Hamburg  | UraCant Cat: 2008  | 
| 1959 |  Claire Watson  Jeannette Sinclair Peter Pears Arda Mandikian  |  Benjamin Britten  English Opera Group orchestra Purcell Singers  | BBC Music Cat: BBCB 8003-2  | 
| 1960 |  Teresa Berganza  Hanny Steffek Gérard Souzay Jane Berbié  |  Pierre Dervaux  Orchestra and Chorus of the Aix-en-Provence Festival  | Walhall Cat: WLCD0326  | 
| 1961 |  Janet Baker  Patricia Clark Raimund Herincx Monica Sinclair  |  Anthony Lewis  English Chamber Orchestra St. Anthony Singers  |  Decca  Cat: 4663872  | 
| 1963 |  Mary Thomas  Honor Sheppard Maurice Bevan Helen Watts  |  Alfred Deller  Oriana orchestra and chorus  | Vanguard Cat: 3003332  | 
| 1965 |  Victoria de los Ángeles  Heather Harper Peter Glossop Patricia Johnson  |  John Barbirolli  English Chamber Orchestra Ambrosian Singers  | EMI Cat: CDM 5 65664 2  | 
| 1967 |  Tatiana Troyanos  Sheila Armstrong Barry McDaniel Patricia Johnson  |  Charles Mackerras  Chamber orchestra of the North German Radio Monteverdi Chor  | Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 447 148-2  | 
| 1970 |  Josephine Veasey  Helen Donath John Shirley-Quirk Elizabeth Bainbridge  |  Colin Davis  Academy of St Martin in the Fields John Alldis Choir  | Philips Cat: 4428334 (CD) Pentatone Cat: 827949023064 (SACD)  | 
| 1971 |  Shirley Verrett  Helen Donath Dan Iordăchescu Oralia Domínguez  |  Raymond Leppard  Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI Torino Ambrosian Singers  | Arkadia Cat: 619  | 
| 1975 |  Janet Baker  [2]  Norma Burrowes Peter Pears Anna Reynolds  |  Steuart Bedford  Aldeburgh Festival strings orchestra London Opera chorus  | Decca Cat: 468 561-2  | 
| 1977 |  Tatiana Troyanos  [3]  Felicity Palmer Richard Stilwell Alfreda Hodgson  |  Raymond Leppard  English Chamber Orchestra English Chamber chorus  | Erato Cat: 2292-45263-2  | 
| 1979 |  D'Anna Fortunato  Nancy Armstrong Mark Baker Bruce Fithian  |  Joël Cohen  Boston Camerata  | LP: Harmonia Mundi Cat: HM 10.067  | 
| 1981 |  Emma Kirkby  Judith Nelson David Thomas Jantina Noorman  |  Andrew Parrott  Taverner Consort and Players  | Chandos Cat: CHAN 8306  | 
| 1982 |  Ann Murray  Rachel Yakar Anton Scharinger Trudeliese Schmidt  |  Nikolaus Harnoncourt  Concentus Musicus Wien Arnold Schoenberg Choir  | Teldec Cat: 4509-93686-2  | 
| 1985 |  Guillemette Laurens  Jill Feldman Philippe Cantor Dominique Visse  |  William Christie  Les Arts Florissants  | Harmonia Mundi Cat: HMC 905173  | 
| Teresa Berganza Danielle Borst Per-Arne Wahlgren Glenys Linos  |  Michel Corboz  Ensemble instrumental de Lausanne Lausanne City Opera chorus  | Erato Cat: 2292-45263-2  | |
|  Jessye Norman  Marie McLaughlin Thomas Allen Patricia Kern  |  Raymond Leppard  English Chamber Orchestra  | Philips Cat: 416 299-2  | |
| 1988 |  Anne Sofie von Otter  Lynne Dawson Stephen Varcoe Nigel Rogers  |  Trevor Pinnock  The English Concert  | Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 427 624-1  | 
| 1989 |  Della Jones  Donna Deam Peter Harvey Susan Bickley  |  Ivor Bolton  St. James’s Baroque Players and chorus  | Teldec Cat: 4509-91191-2  | 
| Rachel Ann Morgan Camille van Lunen David Barick Myra Kroese  | Roderick Shaw Academy of the Begynhof Amsterdam  | Globe Cat: 5020  | |
| 1990 |  Carolyn Watkinson  Ruth Holton George Mosley Teresa Shaw  |  John Eliot Gardiner  English Baroque Soloists Monteverdi Choir  | Philips Cat: 432 114-2  | 
| 1992 |  Catherine Bott  Emma Kirkby John Mark Ainsley David Thomas  |  Christopher Hogwood  Academy of Ancient Music  | Decca Cat: 475 7195  | 
| 1993 |  Lorraine Hunt  Lisa Saffer Michael Dean Ellen Rabiner  |  Nicholas McGegan  Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Clare College, Cambridge chorus  | Harmonia Mundi Cat: HMU 907110  | 
| 1994 |  Emily Van Evera  Ben Parry Janet Lax Haden Andrews  |  Andrew Parrott  [4]  Taverner Consort and Players  |  BBC Music Magazine  Cat: BBC MM129 Sony Classical, Cat: SK 62993 Avie, Cat:AV2309  | 
| Kym Amps Anna Crookes David van Asch Sarah Connolly  | David van Asch The Scholars Baroque Ensemble  | Naxos Cat: 8.553108  | |
|  Véronique Gens  Sophie Marin-Degor Nathan Berg Claire Brua  |  William Christie  [5]  Les Arts Florissants  | Erato Cat: 4509-98477-2  | |
| 1995 | Jennifer Lane Cassandra Hoffman Michael Brown Desiree Halac  |  Bradley Brookshire  I Musici di San Cassiano  | Vox Cat: 7518  | 
|  Maria Ewing  Rebecca Evans Karl Daymond Sally Burgess  |  Richard Hickox  Collegium Musicum 90  | Chandos Cat: CHAN 0586  | |
| Jennifer Lane Ann Monoyios Russell Braun Jennifer Lane  |  Jeanne Lamon  Tafelmusik  | CBC Records Cat: SMCD 5147  | |
| 1996 |  Nancy Maultsby  Susannah Waters Russell Braun Laura Tucker  |  Martin Pearlman  Boston Baroque  | Telarc Cat: 80424  | 
| 1998 |  Lynne Dawson  Rosemary Joshua Gerald Finley Susan Bickley  |  René Jacobs  Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment  | Harmonia Mundi Cat: HMX 2991683  | 
| 2000 | Laura Pudwell Salomé Haller Peter Harvey Laura Pudwell  |  Hervé Niquet  Le Concert Spirituel  | Glossa Cat: GCD 921601  | 
| 2002 |  Evelyn Tubb  Julia Matthews Thomas Meglioranza Evelyn Tubb  |  Predrag Gosta  New Trinity Baroque  | Edition Lilac Cat: 200204-2  | 
| 2003 |  Susan Graham  Camilla Tilling Ian Bostridge Felicity Palmer  |  Emmanuelle Haïm  Le Concert d'Astrée European Voices  | Virgin Veritas Cat: 5 45605 2  | 
| 2004 | Nicola Wemyss Francine van der Heijden Matthew Baker Helen Rasker  | Jed Wentz Musica ad Rhenum  | Brilliant Cat: 92464  | 
| 2007 |  Julianne Baird  Andrea Lauren Brown Timothy Bentch Tatyana Rashkovsky  |  Valentin Radu  Ama Deus Baroque Ensemble  | Lyrichord Cat: LEMS 8057  | 
| 2008 |  Sarah Connolly  Lucy Crowe Gerald Finley Patricia Bardon  | Steven Devine and Elizabeth Kenny Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Choir of the Enlightenment  | Chandos Cat: CHAN 0757  | 
| 2008 |  Simone Kermes  Deborah York Dimitris Tiliakos Oleg Ryabets  |  Teodor Currentzis  MusicAeterna The New Siberian Singers  | Alpha Cat: 140  | 
| 2009 | Solenn' Lavanant Linke Yeree Suh Alejandro Meerapfel Fabian Schofrin  |  Leonardo García Alarcón  Cappella Mediterranea La Nouvelle Menestrandie  | Ambronay Cat: AMY022  | 
| 2010 |  Malena Ernman  Judith Van Wanroij Christopher Maltman Hilary Summers  |  William Christie  Les Arts Florissants  | FRA Musica Cat: FRA001 (DVD) & FRA501 (Blu-ray)  | 
| 2014 | Rachael Lloyd Elin Manahan Thomas Robert Davies Roderick Morris  | Christopher Monks Armonico Consort  | signum Cat: SIGCD417  | 
In Opera on Record, ed. Alan Blyth (Hutchinson & Co./Beaufort Books, Inc., 1983), Graham Sheffield (pp. 11–25) was one of the first authors to supply a comparative discography, praising, for period authenticity, the recordings by Cohen (1978) and Parrott (1981). He found flaws in nearly every recording, but also particular assets, e.g. Roy Henderson in the 1935 recording, Isobel Baillie in 1945, the conducting of Geraint Jones in 1951, several aspects of Lewis's 1961 recording, Peter Glossop in 1965, Mackerras' theatrical instinct in 1967, and Colin Davis' "immense vitality and musicianship" in 1970; apart from Veasey's Dido, he finds sufficient quality in all the vocal contributions to recommend this last as the most important 'non-period' recording.
The Haïm recording (2004 in US) received a highly complimentary review from Allan Kozinn, saying it surpassed Parrott's 1981 production, the latter "[u]ntil now, the best". Kozinn noted orchestration and vocal range innovations by Haïm, as well as strong major and minor cast members. [6]
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