The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Journey with the OAE through calm seas, auspicious gales and supernatural elements. Purcell’s music has been curated by the musicians of the OAE to provide a dramatic counterpoint to a reading of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by actor Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game, Quantum of Solace). Travel and the idea of leaving home left a deep impression on the British mindset in the 17th and 18th centuries. Purcell imagined distant worlds – timeless and brave, new and old – in his operas The Fairy Queen, King Arthur, The Tempest and Dido and Aeneas. Meanwhile, the promise of adventure on the high seas as a symbol for spiritual discovery is found throughout literature of the Enlightenment – think Candide, Gulliver’s Travels and the emergence of the travelogue. It reached a peak around the time of Cook’s landing in Australia and exploration of Antarctica, and The Rime was published not long after, in 1798.