John Blow’s Venus and Adonis, a ‘Masque for the entertainment of the king’ is the earliest through-composed opera in the English language. Its exquisite music, easily the equal of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas which was modelled on the earlier work, moves between comedy and tragedy towards a breathtaking and devastating conclusion.
Following the hugely successful, sold out performance of Dido and Aeneas, we are delighted to present Venus and Adonis at St John’s.
John Blow (1648-1708): Venus and Adonis
