Hey! Don’t read this post if you are going to Sunday’s Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you!

In case you want to know what I’m talking about, you need to first know something of the story. Here’s a quick synopsis from Naxos Records:

Dido, the widowed Queen of Carthage, entertains the Trojan Prince Aeneas, shipwrecked on his way to Italy, where he will found a new Troy. Dido and Aeneas are in love. Witches plot Dido’s destruction and the Sorceress conjures a storm, to break out when the royal couple are hunting, and the impersonation of Mercury by one of her coven. The storm duly breaks and the courtiers hasten back to town, while the false Mercury tells Aeneas he must leave Dido and sail for Italy. Aeneas and his sailors prepare to leave, to the delight of the witches. Aeneas parts from Dido, who kills herself once he has gone, her death lamented by mourning cupids.

In the score, Purcell writes in the first act, number 12 “The Triumphing Dance:” At the end of the dance, thunder and lightning. And at the end of Act I, there is this instruction: Thunder and lightning, horrid music. The Furies sink down in the cave, the rest fly up. 

What I was curious about was how director Tim Carney was going to bring the element of “thunder and lightning” into the Mystical Rose Oratory, where the concert will take place.

These days, all you need to do is Google “thunder” and voilà!

Some interesting comments to hearing thunder as an MP-3 file:

I just got my neighbor’s dog to finally shut up by blasting this out my window. Thank you.

This is good to listen to when you’re reading. Especially romance books, it adds an atmosphere … And since I’m in a cold country, we rarely get thunder storms. It’ll be nice to hear them again, they are so satisfying to listen to~

This is really good when you have to go to sleep… your mind is relaxed your body is relaxed and all the rest that you have from the days weeks months years could be all over… that have a good day or a good night.

Oh, this would be too easy!

Okay, here’s the spoiler alert! Click this window closed NOW! if you don’t want to find out before Sunday how we’ll create the sound of thunder.

Douglas Hall will be violently twisting and bending a piece of sheet metal. Hey, don’t laugh! He wondered whether he would be given credit in the program!

Click this link to see the picture!

Here’s the ticket info:

Please join us for this one-time event in the intimate acoustic of Mystical Rose Oratory, overlooking Diamond Head on the campus of Chaminade University. Plenty of free parking and handicap accessible.

Sunday, June 25 at 4:00 pm
Mystical Rose Oratory, Chaminade University, 3140 Waialae Avenue
$25 general admission; $20 seniors and military; $5 (for 25 and under, at the door only) and $35 preferred seating.

Tickets at honoluluboxoffice.com, 550-TIKS (8457), and at the door.