The New York Chamber Opera presented Purcell's masterpiece, Dido and Aeneas on January 20, 22, and 24 to sold out audiences at the Peter Norton Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy/Thalia Theater.  The performances featured the exciting mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Batton in the title role of Dido, Richard Byrne as Aeneas and Dulce Manzini as the Sorceress.  The opera, which opened on Inauguration Day, was given a distinctly political slant in a brilliantly conveived staging by Ira Siff and conducted by the Chamber Opera's Artistic Director, Lucy Arner.