The core of the story is that of the widowed Dido feeling a revival of desire upon meeting the visiting warrior Aeneas. She loves, only to lose again when Aeneas is persuaded to sail away by a deceitful sorceress and her followers.
The women are the focal point and have numerous opportunities to shine. As Dido’s maiden Belinda, soprano Lindsay Ohse is a steady thread from beginning to end. She confidently leads the chorus urging Dido to open up to Aeneas and is there at Dido’s death.
Yes, spoiler alert, she dies in the end, but that shouldn’t be a big surprise. The lament of Dido’s final aria, “When I am laid in earth,” has enjoyed popular fame for more than 300 years as a peaceful resignation.
It would be the greatest compliment to DeRenzi to note that the performance continued without a hitch. Under the direction of assistant conductor Geoffrey Loff, making his Sarasota debut this season, the orchestra sounded as polished as usual with notable solos from both English and French horns.
The singers, most of whom are veterans of Sarasota Opera seasons past, carry out their roles with consummate skill pointing to the fact that the largest share of work for both conductor and stage director is done prior to the first performance.
Stephanie Sundine has always shown great skill directing large farces and plenty of action on stage. The small cast of “Bruschino” has its own challenges twisting and turning around the deception plotted by lovers Florville (Christopher Bozeka) and Sofia (Hanna Brammer).