Les Troyens

After the destruction of Troy the Trojan warrior Énée sets out on a journey to found a new dynasty He meets Didon Queen of Carthage and falls in love But will Énées love for Didon prove stronger than his sense of duty LES TROYENS The Trojans is a tour de force of music that ranges from fiery military marches to intense choruses passionate soliloquies such as those of the prophetess Cassandre and the lyrical love duets of Didon and Énée It is Hector Berliozs largest work and he wrote the libretto himself drawing upon his intimate knowledge of Virgils Aeneid To the composers disappointment LES TROYENS was only performed once in full during his lifetime and was often presented in shortened form during the 20th century The Royal Operas production provides a rare chance to see this epic work in its entirety David McVicars staging is on an enormous scale assembling one of the largest casts ever seen at Covent Garden