Purcell conjours up a frightful scene: The Witches Scene from "Dido & Aeneas"

One of my favorite early Baroque operas, Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, contains a scene which introduces the antagonist, the Sorceress.  I hesitate to call her a villain, for in the original Greek version, she is merely a goddess who controls the fates.  However, for Purcell's tale, she takes on the disguise of a witch and the fates, her demon minions.

I sang this role several years ago and fell in love with it. If you ever get the rare opportunity to see a production of this piece, I highly recommend it.  It's well worth it.