Annie Lennox has shared her brand new reworking of Dido’s Lament.
The Eurythmics star covers the 17th century aria, lifted from Henry Purcell’s Baroque-era opera, Dido and Aeneas, on the newly-remastered edition of her holiday album, A Christmas Cornucopia.
“For the 10th anniversary of A Christmas Cornucopia we wanted to offer something a little bit different than the original album,” explains Lennox in a statement.
“Dido’s Lament was an almost forgotten recording I made a decade ago which was randomly unearthed from [co-producer] Mike Steven’s studio during lockdown earlier this year.”
She continues: “It is the most profoundly haunting and melancholic aria from the opera written by English composer Henry Purcell approximately 300 years ago, where heartbroken Dido prepares to commit suicide.
“It occurred to me there was a comparison to the destruction human beings have brought upon the planet. When it comes to climate catastrophe, we are on the edge of abyss. I really believe we don’t have much time left to make an effective change,” shares the Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) hitmaker.
“We are looking at a civilization on the downwards side. This is the truth of this matter. It’s staring us in the face and we are not paying any significant attention – continuing on as if it doesn’t exist. I see Dido’s Lament as a lament for our dying planet.”
Lennox first released the collection a decade ago, including the singer’s favourite Christmas songs and one original track, Universal Child. Pre-order the reissued LP, out November 20th, on CD and vinyl now.
