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Handel's Acis and Galatea, short and sweet, has been among his most enduringly popular works. Part of its fascination resides in its generic ambiguity: it may be classified as an oratorio (although its choral elements are sparse), a serenade, a masque, a pastoral, or, perhaps most accurately by Handel himself as "a little opera." The story involves a shepherd, Acis, a kind of goddess-nymph, Galatea, and a rude giant, Polyphemus, who is jealous of the love of Acis and Galatea (spoiler: Acis is killed and ends up as a fountain). The music hits the pastoral mood from the very start with the subdominant harmonies and fetching suspensions of the Sinfonia. The work has been expanded in several dimensions, including by Handel himself over the decades and centuries, but the original 1718 version of the work, the one heard here, is perhaps preferable: the mix of fun and light tragedy in the work comes through most clearly. Likewise, although the opera has been done plenty of times by full-on operatic voices, and listeners may fondly remember the version with Peter Pears and Joan Sutherland from the 1950s, the smaller-scale singing of Jeremy Budd and Grace Davidson is attractive indeed, and the one-voice-per-part chorus reflects the circumstances of the work's original performance. Sample Davidson's charmingly injured "Must I my Acis still bemoan." An altogether delightful version of this familiar Handel work.
© TiVo
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George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - Mark Dobell, MainArtist - Simon Berridge, MainArtist - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Mark Dobell, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
DISC 2
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - Mark Dobell, MainArtist - Simon Berridge, MainArtist - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Simon Berridge, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Mark Dobell, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - Mark Dobell, MainArtist - Simon Berridge, MainArtist - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - Mark Dobell, MainArtist - Simon Berridge, MainArtist - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
George Frideric Handel, Composer - Grace Davidson, MainArtist - The Sixteen, Orchestra, Ensemble, MainArtist - Harry Christophers, Conductor, MainArtist - John Gay, Composer - Ovid, Composer - Jeremy Budd, MainArtist - Mark Dobell, MainArtist - Simon Berridge, MainArtist - Stuart Young, MainArtist - King's Music, MusicPublisher
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
Album review
Handel's Acis and Galatea, short and sweet, has been among his most enduringly popular works. Part of its fascination resides in its generic ambiguity: it may be classified as an oratorio (although its choral elements are sparse), a serenade, a masque, a pastoral, or, perhaps most accurately by Handel himself as "a little opera." The story involves a shepherd, Acis, a kind of goddess-nymph, Galatea, and a rude giant, Polyphemus, who is jealous of the love of Acis and Galatea (spoiler: Acis is killed and ends up as a fountain). The music hits the pastoral mood from the very start with the subdominant harmonies and fetching suspensions of the Sinfonia. The work has been expanded in several dimensions, including by Handel himself over the decades and centuries, but the original 1718 version of the work, the one heard here, is perhaps preferable: the mix of fun and light tragedy in the work comes through most clearly. Likewise, although the opera has been done plenty of times by full-on operatic voices, and listeners may fondly remember the version with Peter Pears and Joan Sutherland from the 1950s, the smaller-scale singing of Jeremy Budd and Grace Davidson is attractive indeed, and the one-voice-per-part chorus reflects the circumstances of the work's original performance. Sample Davidson's charmingly injured "Must I my Acis still bemoan." An altogether delightful version of this familiar Handel work.
© TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 24 track(s)
- Total length: 01:28:44
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: The Sixteen Harry Christophers
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Coro
- Genre: Classical
(C) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd (P) 2019 The Sixteen Productions Ltd
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