ON Sunday, at the 2015 York Early Music Festival, University of York alumnus Christian Curnyn directs his Early Opera Company in the "perfect operatic double bill" of Charpentier's Actéon and Purcell's Dido And Aeneas.

This year' festival has the theme of Entente Cordiale, bringing together the music of France and England. From 17th century France comes Marc-Antoine Charpentier's story of the unfortunate hunter Actéon, transformed into a stag and devoured by his own hounds for observing the goddess Diana bathing.

From 17th century England, Purcell's musical drama goes to the heart of the death of the tragic Carthaginian queen.

Charles Hutchinson pops the questions to director Christian Curnyn.

What makes Charpentier’s Actéon and Purcell’s Dido And Aeneas the perfect Baroque operatic double bill, Christian?

"Dido And Aeneas is one of the true masterpieces of all opera, and as such it's tricky to find a work of the same sort of duration that won't feel inferior, and complements Dido in style and narrative.

"I think Actéon is a perfect piece, telling the tale of Actéon's terrible fate at the hands of the goddess Diana. Like Dido, it is perfect in scale, with not a single extraneous musical gesture. Indeed, Acteon's fate is referred to in Dido in the somewhat ominous song for the second woman in Act Two."

What does the opportunity to perform at the York Early Music Festival mean to the Early Opera Company?

"York Early Music Festival is one of the world's most prestigious platforms as a musician working in early music and it's a great honour to have been asked back. I first performed here as a student 25 years ago and visited with my Early Opera Company around five years ago. It's great to be back, not just to perform but to see friends like Delma [festival administrative director Delma Tomlin] and Peter Seymour, who were so supportive in my student years at the University of York."

What are your abiding memories of your university days in York?

"My most abiding memories of York are the freedom the degree course gave us to do our own thing; mine was to perform baroque music, others new composition. We were encouraged to go our own way. York was unique in that way. The absolute best thing about York was being able to study and learn from Peter Seymour, one of the finest musicians I know. There are tons of us who owe ever so much to Peter."

Early Opera Company presents Charpentier's Actéon and Purcell's Dido And Aeneas, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, Sunday, July 5 at 6.30pm. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk/yemf