HANDEL Cantatas: Notte placida e cheta, HWV 142; Qualor l’egre pupille, HWV 152; Ne’ tuoi lumi, HWV 133; Armide abbandonatta, HWV 105 • Marco Vitale, cond; Roberta Mameli (sop); Contrasto Armonico (period instruments) • AYROS 01 (61:19 Text and Translation)


During the four years he spent in Italy, George Frederic Handel was a busy boy. Of course, he went there to create a reputation as a composer of opera, but he also spent a considerable amount of energy on the secular cantata. In fact, he wrote over 100 of them, usually scored for voice and a few instruments, mainly strings. These miniature opera scenes usually consist of a pair of arias preceded by recitatives, but they could be expanded as needed to serve the dramatic needs of the scenes musically depicted. The works found on this disc are certainly of that nature, although the first, Notte placida e cheta , is almost double that length, with the second set of pairs using accompanied recitative. If the Pope had banned stage productions, then these were dangerously close to insubordination in their secular operatic nature, even if they were meant to be performed before private patrons.


The first of the cantatas is a languid dream work, in which a shepherd dreams of his beloved Phyllis. The first aria, “Zeffiretti,” is just the sort of imagery that would inspire Handel to compose a gentle, softly flowing line with only the most fluid ornamentation. The violins softly weave like gentle leaves on a stream. In the second part, the strings form an ethereal backdrop, preparing for the recurring sequences of the continuo aria that follows. The final aria is a rather intricate fugue, quite Corelli-like, but perhaps more strict than one might imagine for a secular cantata. I can’t help but think that the composer was barely skirting insolence with this sort of parody in the center of Catholicism. In the second cantata, scored only for voice and continuo, the aria “È il pensier” moves fluidly through various keys, unable to find harmonic rest until the last note, like a ship being tossed around. More unusual, the work ends with a recitative that is more reflective and leaves the listener anticipating an aria that never comes (Handel, apparently realizing that this was unsatisfactory, crossed it out.) The opening aria of the third cantata is a lament, with restless dotted rhythms in the continuo part but a more lyrical, even at times plaintive melodic line. The final aria, “La mia piaga,” is extremely familiar, since Handel apparently reused it two or three times in operas in varied forms. It contains some rather impressive virtuoso passages, replete with close harmonic inflections (mostly to words like “torture” and “pain”) and some rather interesting ornamentation. The final work, however, has a real plot. The sorceress Armide has been abandoned, and the swirling opening accompagnato has her reflecting on her fate, with the lines twisting and turning before finally completely calming into fading chords. This sets up the gorgeous, emotional “Ah! Crudele,” probably the progenitor of all of the famous lamento arias of heroines such as Cleopatra. The final two arias are in dance tempos: the first is a gigue with rapid continuo and string punctuations, while the last, “In tanti affanni miei,” is a mournful Siciliano , with a slow and sorrowful line that moves with slow triple rhythms like a gentle wave.


This is highly effective musical material, made all the more so by the excellent performance of soprano Roberta Mameli. Her voice has depth and resonance, and she is extremely skillful in reproducing the necessary emotions by way of her phrasing and cautious use of ornamentation. It is intimate, blends well with the subtle chamber instrumentation, and filled with expression. This is probably the way that Handel ought to be sung, and she captures the pictorial essence of these small works excellently. It would not have worked, of course, without close cooperation with a similarly sensitive interpretation by Marco Vitale and his ensemble. When required, the continuo (including cellist Marta Semkiw) acts as an equal partner, but they are discreet so as not to overshadow Handel’s exposed vocal lines. The violins are also firm and discrete partners in their two cantatas. In short, this is a disc that plumbs the depths of Handel’s ability to convey emotional texts in a manner that makes it an indispensable part of any early Baroque collection.


FANFARE: Bertil van Boer

An excellent performance.

George Frideric Handel left a large oeuvre, most of it written after he had left Germany. As a result very few compositions on a German text are known. For some time a St John Passion was attributed to Handel, but there now seems general agreement that it was written by someone else. That leaves the nine German arias and the Brockes Passion. Although they are on German texts Handel wrote them while he was living in England.
 
Handel used the well-known libretto 'Der für die Sünden der Welt gemarterte und sterbende Jesus' (Jesus who suffered and died for the sins of the world) written by Barthold Heinrich Brockes. It was also set by other composers: Reinhard Keiser (1712, the same year the libretto was published), Georg Philipp Telemann in 1716 (the same year as Handel) and Johann Mattheson in 1718. The latter performed all four in Holy Week of 1719 in the refectory of Hamburg Cathedral. This church was a kind of sanctuary in Hamburg because it was not under the supervision of the city council. Brockes' text was of a dramatic nature and offered a composer much opportunity to write in an operatic style. That kind of Passion music was certainly not approved of by the ecclesiastical authorities.
 
The Brockes Passion was one of the first in the new genre of the Passion oratorio in which the text of the Gospels was paraphrased. The report of the events is delivered by the Evangelist, the other characters in the Gospels are also represented - Judas, Peter, Pilate, - but there are also two symbolic characters: Tochter Zion (Daughter of Sion) and Gläubige Seele (the Believer) who reflect and comment on the events. They take most of the arias, and are mostly scored for soprano. Because of the number of arias some are performed by Johanna Winkel, who also takes the role of the Believer. Two arias of the Believer and one of Daughter of Sion are given to a tenor, and are sung here by Markus Brutscher. And another aria of the Believer is scored for bass: 'Wie kommt's, dass da der Himmel weint', sung by Michael Dahmen.
 
Handel explored the operatic character of the libretto to the full. It is hardly surprising that he used material from this Passion in later years for some of his English oratorios. The text is set in a very expressive way, not only for the voice but also for the instruments. Two arias are given to Jesus, another feature of the Passion oratorio. These two - 'Mein Vater, schau wie ich' and 'Ist's möglich, dass dein Zorn', which have the same musical material and are divided by a recitative - are introduced by dramatic chords from the strings. Descending chords lead to Peter's aria 'Schau, ich fall' in strenger Busse': "See, I fall on my knees at your feet as a penance". A kind of operatic dialogue is the scene in Gethsemane, when Jesus urges his disciples to stay awake. Also reminiscent of opera are the rage arias; there are no less than four in this oratorio.
 
In some arias instruments play a prominent role. The aria 'Dem Himmel gleicht sein buntgefärbter Rücken' - which with some textual differences also appears in Bach's St John Passion - contains an extended solo for the violin. The highly expressive aria 'Die ihr Gottes Gnad' versäumet' has a beautiful obbligato part for the oboe. And the last aria of this oratorio, 'Wisch ab der Tränen scharfe Lauge', begins with an introduction by the strings, after which soprano and oboe proceed alone in unisono. These are just some examples of the many splendid arias this oratorio contains. In addition there are two duets, between Daughter of Sion and Jesus, and between Mary and Jesus respectively. The latter and the preceding recitative are the only passages which are given to Mary.
 
Handel's manuscript has not been preserved. For this recording a copy was used – one made by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is not known whether he copied it to perform in Leipzig or just out of interest. In this copy the text of the first chorus has been changed. Brockes' text begins with the words: "Mich vom Stricke meiner Sünden zu entbinden". Here we get: "Kommet, ihr verworfnen Sünder".
 
Considering that Handel's Brockes Passion was first performed in the refectory of Hamburg Cathedral one wonders how large the ensemble would have been. A choir of 27 singers is probably a bit on the large side. On the other hand, the oratorio has been performed again in later years, probably also in larger venues, and that could well be an argument in favour of a larger ensemble. I have nothing but praise for the choir, though. It produces a powerful sound where it is due, in particular in the 'turbae'. But the chorales are also beautifully sung.
 
What is so admirable about this performance is that it has absolutely no weak link. Peter Neumann has brought together a really excellent cast, which is stylistically on the same wavelength. The two sopranos have gorgeous voices; they are not that different, but here that is not really necessary. They sing the more dramatic recitatives and arias just as brilliantly as the more reflective parts. Markus Brutscher gives a splendid account of the part of the Evangelist. His articulation and diction are exemplary. If there is one thing to criticise it is that the recitatives are sometimes too strict in time, with too little rhythmic freedom. This is a problem with recordings of baroque vocal music which I have noticed quite often.
 
Markus Flaig performs the role of Jesus just as well, both in the recitatives and in the arias. Elvira Bill's performance of the small role of Maria is very moving, and her duet with Markus Flaig is one of the highlights of this recording. Apparently Michael Damen sings all the smaller bass roles - although the booklet omits to tell us - and he does so convincingly. Jan Thomer sings the role of Judas, including another operatic aria (Lasst diese Tat nicht ungerochen), and James Oxley the role of Peter, and both do so beautifully. Lastly the orchestra gives excellent support to the singers and greatly contributes to the drama which unfolds.
 
There are not that many recordings of Handel's Brockes Passion. The only one I have is directed by Nicholas McGegan (originally released on Hungaroton, later reissued on Brilliant Classics). That is a quite good performance, but this new recording surpasses it. In my view it sets a new standard for every future recording of this work.
 
-- Johan van Veen, MusicWeb International

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir present an intimate and stirring performance of the highlights of the baroque masterpiece Handel’s Messiah. This CD recording of the full score on period instruments features a stellar cast of soloists. Tafelmusik presents this baroque masterpiece with the spirit and vitality of Handel’s own 18th-century productions. “Superhuman”, “spot-on”, “crisp” and “inspired” are just a few of the words critics have used to describe Tafelmusik’s Messiah. A perennial favourite with audiences and critics alike, Tafelmusik’s Messiah has garnered glowing reviews year after year. “I cannot remember a Messiah presentation as uniformly ‘spot-on’ as this year’s by Ivars Taurins’ Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and Baroque Orchestra.” - The Globe and Mail

Classical Music

Also available: Handel in Italy, Vol. 2 / Cunningham, London Early Opera

With Athalia, Neumann has achieved another notable success... Despite the considerable virtues of the Hogwood recording [NLA], my feeling is that the new Neumann comfortably surpasses it. In the spheres alike of conducting, orchestral playing, and recording, there is a trade-off to be observed. Unusually for him, Neumann sets somewhat headlong tempos in two or three of the faster arias, where Hogwood might be called more rationally moderate. But though Neumann’s singers are thereby pushed to the limit in terms of vocal poise and verbal precision, the gain in dramatic urgency provides abundant compensation; and this result is enhanced both by the powerfully propulsive bass line that, more typically, he draws from his Cologne-based orchestra and by Werner Dabringhaus’s ideally clear and at the same time resonant recording. At times, indeed, the contribution of the Collegium Cartusianum’s brasses and of timpanist Martin Piechotta, thwacking away mightily with his wooden sticks in the big choruses, attains to a degree of boisterousness that might almost be considered too much of a good thing—but I love it myself. There is, in any case, no lack of more subtle effects, such as the sheer velvet beauty of the string figurations in Joad’s act-III air with chorus, “Jerusalem, thou shalt no more a tyrant’s guilty reign deplore.” So far as the two choruses are concerned, it should be noted that Hogwood’s uses boy sopranos and exclusively male altos, whereas the 28-member Cologne Chamber Choir has female sopranos and a mix of female and male altos. Personal preference in this regard may point collectors in one or the other direction. I find both groups excellent, but again, effects like the dramatic choral staccatos in the final chorus of act II are more compellingly brought off by the German ensemble.

Among the solo performances, the most striking successes in the new set are not exactly where I expected to find them. Reviewing a disc of Handel duets conducted by Alan Curtis, I made bold to call Simone Kermes “one of the greatest Handel singers of our time.” Her performance here as Athalia is again exciting, and she easily trumps Sutherland dramatically with a characterization of sometimes positively shrewish vividness. But the two other sopranos, the Ukrainian Olga Pasichnyk and the Norwegian Trine Wilsberg Lund, achieve even more mellifluous results in this particular performance. Singing with winning lyric lightness of tone but also with a clean, firm line, Pasichnyk makes Emma Kirkby’s Josabeth sound a touch too “in your face”; and Wilsberg Lund, no less charming as the young king Joas, is vocally more accomplished than the boy soprano in Hogwood’s version. Surprisingly again, the young American tenor Thomas Cooley proves at least the peer of the much more experienced Anthony Rolfe Johnson as the plausible but unpleasant apostate priest Mathan, and Wolf Matthias Friedrich similarly matches and even surpasses David Thomas’s familiar virtues as the honest soldier Abner. For the crucial role of the Jewish high priest Joad, moreover, Neumann has found his best countertenor yet. Born in Buenos Aires (though described in the French version of the booklet biography as of Italian origin), Martín Oro possesses a voice of beguiling warmth which he deploys with both firmness and delicacy, and may well please many listeners (no doubt including my former colleague Ralph V. Lucano) more than Hogwood’s authoritative but somewhat aggressive-sounding James Bowman.

Vocal embellishments throughout are conceived and carried out in admirably natural style, and though Anglophone listeners may find an occasional vowel from one or another singer in Neumann’s cast slightly foreign-sounding, there is nothing like the mangling of the language that disfigured Martini’s performance. Altogether, then, this may be accounted a near-ideal presentation of a work that every Handelian, and for that matter every potential Handelian, needs to know. What wonderful music this is! To know it, I venture to suggest, is to love it.

Bernard Jacobson, FANFARE

Max Emanuel Cencic excels with his celebrated and award-winning production of George Frideric Handel's masterpiece Arminio at the International Handel Festival Karlsruhe. The remarkable counter-tenor Cencic, who dedicates himself to the revival and performance of the music of the 18th century, demonstrates once more that Baroque singing can be both technically brilliant and at the same time modern and emotionally engaging. His enchanting staging of Arminio is the fulminant revival of the heroic story. When premiered in 1737 at London's Covent Garden, Arminio strangely received only six performances, despite being praised as "a miracle" and "in every respect excellent and vastly pleasing" by contemporaries. Handel's opera fell into oblivion - until Cencic put it into the limelight, resulting in the "rehabilitation of the piece" (FAZ). Cencic's production of Arminio, which created a furor when performed at the Theater an der Wien, features the ensemble Armonia Atenea under the baton of George Petrou and stars the stage director in the leading role: "Cencic is not only as counter-tenor but also as stage director at the peak of his success" (S�ddeutsche Zeitung).

Ann Hallenberg; Laura Cherici; Marta Vandoni Iorio; Mary-Ellen Nesi; Carlo Lepore; Zachary Stains; Vittorio Prato

Il Complesso Barocco/Alan Curtis

John Pascoe, director, set & costume designer

NTSC All Region; LPCM 2.0; Dolby Digital 5.1; Color; 16/9; 157 mins. Subtitled in Italian, English, German, French & Spanish

The present DVD is filmed in high definition format the Sferisterio Opera Festival of Macerata in August 2007.

BONUS TRACK: it is contained an introduction to the opera by John Pascoe and Alan Curtis that explain the set and the whole opera plot. We remember them in Vivaldi’s Ercole (recorded by Dynamic – DVD 33525) recorded last Summer at Spoleto Festival.

Founded in Italy in 1992 by Alan Curtis, one of the most acclaimed specialists in the interpretation of pre-romantic music, Il Complesso Barocco, has become a renowned international baroque orchestra with a focus on Italian Baroque opera and oratorio. Their high standard for interpretation, intonation and stylistic accuracy has led to their being requested in the most important concert venues and festivals in Europe. Notes on this opera: on 8th January 1735 at the Covent Garden in London, Georg Friedrich Handel presented his new opera Ariodante. The opera thus conceived did not immediately win public favor, but with time it was to be understood and appreciated and has remained on playbills among the more successful and interesting titles. Each act corresponds to a precise moment, strictly linked to the action: the first is mainly devoted to presenting the characters; the second, set in a gloomier atmosphere, revolves around the episode of the deceit; the third sees the return of the festive mood with the misunderstanding being cleared up. In order to underline the various situations accessory elements are eliminated and specific instrumental timbres are exalted with solo roles. The right importance is attributed to the extraordinary strength of the instrumental composition which again in Ariodante is intended now as support to the voices now as independent, coinciding with steps in the sinfonia and with delightful dance motives. (2 DVDs)

Apollo e Dafne, composed by George Frideric Handel in 1709, is a secular cantata, and one of Handel’s most ambitious cantatas. The success of this work was indicative of Handel’s outstanding operatic career which would soon follow its release. Vocal soloists Mhairi Lawson, soprano, and Callum Thorpe, bass, join the ensemble for the cantata. This release also includes two recital pieces for wind band, which shows Ensemble Marsyas’ instrumentalists’ great talent. Ensemble Marsyas is an Edinburgh based chamber group which is made up of the best of this generation of musicians who specialize in European early music. “…this music positively flourishes in the hands of the Ensemble Marsyas.” (BBC Music Magazine) “…the whole group plays with uncanny rap pot… a stream of unalloyed listening pleasure.” (Early Music Today)

HANDEL: Apollo and Dafne / Alchemist

The nature of 'Alexander's Feast' is perhaps better summoned up by its other title, 'The Power of Music'. It is a celebratory ode for St. Cecilia's Day, written by Dryden in 1697 for the City of London's traditional celebration of the patron saint of music, and set in celebratory style by Handel in 1736. At its first performance that year, he incorporated two delightful concertos, one for harp and the other for organ, and these are included on this recording.

George Petrou and his ensemble have advanced to the first ranks of Handel interpreters in record- breaking time. This time the Greek conductor presents us a CD premiere featuring the rebirth of Alessandro Severo, a Roman emperor from the beginning of the third century. Petrou also offers us a special surprise treat with Don Crepuscolo by the Greek composer Niccolo? Manzaro.

George Petrou again draws an outstanding vocal ensemble including Kristina Hammerstro?m, Mary- Ellen Nesi, Irini Karaianni, Marita Solberg, Gemma Bertagnolli, and Petros Magoulas. The recently founded Armonia Atenea performs on historical instruments. On their fifth opera recording the Handel specialists again score a major coup.

George Frideric Handel’s opera Admeto was composed for the Royal Academy of Music. The work, with Italian libretto by Nicola Hyam, premiered in 1727. The work is partly based on Euripides’ Alcestis. For this production, Oscar nominated film director Doris Dorrie creates vivid scenery and brilliant sets to immerse the viewer in the ritualized world of the samurai. “Handel would have enjoyed this enchanting shadow theater.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) “It’s brilliantly played by the period-instrument FestspielOrchester Gottingen, conducted with fine sensibility and sensuality by Nicolas McGegan.” (The Times)

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.

George Frideric Handel
ACIS AND GALATEA
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Galatea – Danielle de Niese (soprano) / Lauren Cuthbertson (dancer)
Acis – Charles Workman (tenor) / Edward Watson (dancer)
Damon – Paul Agnew (tenor) / Steven McRae (dancer)
Polyphemus – Matthew Rose (bass) / Eric Underwood (dancer)
Coridon – Ji-Min Park (soprano) / Paul Kay (dancer)

Royal Opera House Chorus
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Christopher Hogwood, conductor

Wayne McGregor, stage director

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, on 8 April, 2009.

Bonus:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Cast gallery
- Documentary – Staging Acis and Galatea

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: PCM 2.0 / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English (bonus features only) / French, German, Spanish
Running time: 110 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD 50)

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HANDEL Acis and Galatea • Christopher Hogwood, cond; Danielle de Niese/Lauren Cuthbertson ( Galatea ); Charles Workman/Edward Watson ( Acis ); Paul Agnew/Steven McRae/Mellissa Hamilton ( Damon ); Ji-Min Park/Paul Kay ( Coridon ); Matthew Rose/Eric Underwood ( Polyphemus ); Royal Op Extra Cho & Ballet; O of the Age of Enlightenment (period instruments) • OPUSARTE BD7056 D (Blu-ray: 110:00) Live: Covent Garden 4/8/2009


As you can tell from the headnote, this production is double-cast (in one case, triple-cast), but not in the usual way; the first name listed for each character is that of the singer, and after that comes the name of the dancer(s) assigned to shadow or echo the actions and emotions of the character. It may sound contrived, but this actually is a marvelous way to amplify the text, and frankly to relieve the score of its sometimes static nature. Handel wrote Acis and Galatea as a masque, which for practical purposes today means a secular cantata stringing together da capo arias and a few choruses, and so he had no reason to fill in several important gaps in the action that would help explain character motivation or simply specify between numbers how we got from there to here. Acis doesn’t quite work as an opera, but this version directed and choreographed by Wayne McGregor makes the best case for its stageworthiness without resorting to musical interpolations.


Not much happens in the pastoral prologue, in which the river nymph Galatea and the shepherd Acis make goo-goo eyes at each other, to the occasinal commentary of onlookers. Things go bad in the second half, where the jeaolous and volcanic Polyphemus eventually kills Acis; in best Ovidian fashion, the young man’s gushing blood is transformed into a river.


McGregor’s choreography fuses elements of ballet with hep Audrey Hepburn-style 1950s modern dance; the dancers, all of them excellent, do not so much act out what the singers are going on about as echo their emotions, although a few gestures do sometimes conform to specific words in the text. The cast is headed by Danielle de Niese, a fine Handel singer who also happens to look the part of a delectable nymph. In the role of Acis, however, Charles Workman’s singing is little better than, well, workmanlike—competent, but little more. Bass Matthew Rose is a rich-voiced Polyphemus, whose only fault is that he tends to miss the humor in his music (perhaps director McGregor wanted him to seem more threatening, which he certainly does). In their smaller roles, Paul Agnew and Ji-Min Park are very good, and it’s too bad Handel doesn’t give us a chance to hear more of them.


Hildegard Bechtler’s set starts off in traditional pastoral mode, but through the course of the performance gradually decays into dark abstraction as the lovers’ lives fall apart; her costumes for the singers are drawn more or less from the mid 20th-century English countryside, while the dancers wear slightly gussied-up bodysuits.


Christopher Hogwood leads typically crisp playing by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, although there’s more emotional nuance to be found in the audio-only performances under King (Hyperion), Gardiner (Archiv), and Christie (Erato, if you can find it). This version may not displace your CD favorite, but as an audio-visual presentation it’s perfectly good, and often better than that (especially when de Niese has the stage). There’s nothing out-of-the-ordinary to report about the high-definition video and audio quality; the total time in the headnote includes a bit more than 10 minutes of special features—a little documentary and the usual illustrated synopsis.


FANFARE: James Reel

George Frideric Handel
ACIS AND GALATEA

Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a distinguished cast including Danielle de Niese and Charles Workman in Wayne McGregor's new production of Handel's opera in which The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet appear in a rare and beautifully crafted collaboration. Filmed with High Definition cameras and recorded in true surround sound.

"Charles Workman and Danielle de Niese had bags of vocal and personal charm in the title roles, with strong contributions from Matthew Rose as Polyphemus and Paul Agnew and Ji-Min Park as attendant shepherds; among the dancers, special praise to Lauren Cuthbertson as Galatea's frolicking nymph. …An evening of exquisite sensual pleasure." -- The Telegraph

Galatea – Danielle de Niese (soprano) / Lauren Cuthbertson (dancer)
Acis – Charles Workman (tenor) / Edward Watson (dancer)
Damon – Paul Agnew (tenor) / Steven McRae (dancer)
Polyphemus – Matthew Rose (bass) / Eric Underwood (dancer)
Coridon – Ji-Min Park (soprano) / Paul Kay (dancer)

Royal Opera House Chorus
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Christopher Hogwood, conductor

Wayne McGregor, stage director

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, on 8 April, 2009.

Bonus:
- Illustrated synopsis
- Cast gallery
- Documentary – Staging Acis and Galatea

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: PCM 2.0 / DTS 5.0
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English (bonus features only) / French, German, Spanish
Running time: 110 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

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Acis and Galatea is an absolutely delightful work, one of Handel’s great masterpieces, but what on earth is it? Is it an oratorio, a masque, an opera or something else altogether? For its Handel anniversary production in 2009 Covent Garden decided that it was a mix of all these and its triumphant staging gives us a rare opportunity to see the combined talents of both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet on the same stage. By the way, if you’re more interested in the debate over Acis’ form then this is dealt with in a most informative way by Andrew V Jones’ scholarly booklet note for this release.

Wayne McGregor’s main idea for this production is to have each singer shadowed by a dancer – as listed above – and for the dancer to mirror, shadow or suggest the emotions they are expressing. It works remarkably well. While there are no official dances per se in Handel’s score the lithe, flexible rhythms that abound in the music seem to cry out for a physical interpretation. It’s a neat idea that, crucially, informs our understanding of the music and the characters rather than getting in the way. The most effective moments are towards the end of Act 1 when we see the dancers approach one another and then gradually intertwine as Acis and Galatea give in to their mutual love. Polyphemus’ dancer is particularly interesting: when the singer is at his most active the dancer is almost entirely still and the situation is reversed for when the singer is at peace, an interesting comment on the psychology of the “monster”.

Dancers aside, the star of the show is undoubtedly the delectable, delightful de Niese by whom, I admit, I was entirely smitten. She is strikingly beautiful to look at on stage but this would count for little were it not for her remarkably lovely voice. Her light soprano is bright and blithe throughout Act 1 and full of pathos for Act 2 – Heart, the seat of soft delight is meltingly lovely, perhaps the highlight of the set. Added to this is her visible sense of wide-eyed wonder at the events unfolding around her, the very type of pastoral innocence. The climax of the evening comes at the end when, having transformed Acis into the fountain, she dances with his spirit/dancer showing physical awareness and adaptability quite remarkable for a singer. Next to her Charles Workman, dressed in a shepherd’s tatty jumper and trousers, is disappointingly workaday. His voice, while not unpleasant, sounds hollow and pale and he cannot do justice to Handel’s lovely melodies. Love in her eyes lacks the beguiling wonder it should carry and Love sounds th’alarm is weak rather than heroic. Paul Agnew is an effective Damon and Ji-Min Park’s Coridon has accented English but a fine tenor voice. Matthew Rose is a very fine Polyphemus, threatening yet humorous at the same time, singing with a rich, full bass that is exciting and vibrant without being over-dominant. The trio, The flocks shall leave the mountains, is very effective, bringing out the best in all three protagonists.

McGregor creates an idyllic pastoral setting which slowly decays. The opening scene is straight out of Cranach but as the opera progresses it is stained and tainted by what he calls, in a short extra film, “the bodily fluids of the opera” so that by the time of Acis’ murder the action plays out in an almost apocalyptic staging. A few subtle ruins and stuffed animals suggest ancient Greek pastoral without ramming it down our throats. There is plenty of room for the dancers to move without distracting from or being distracted by the setting.

Orchestral duties are done by the OAE in the pit, an ensemble who know this music inside out and it shows with delectable string sound and some beautiful wind solos. Hogwood loves the bouncy rhythms of Handel’s textures. Don’t be put off by an excessively slow opening chorus: it soon gives way to much more energetic pacing. The reduced chorus sing most effectively, Handel’s counterpoint shining through in their transparent textures, particularly towards the end.

All told, then, this production looks great and, Workman aside, sounds fantastic too. I found it very convincing and if you’re going to stage Acis then this is as effective a way of doing it as any I can think of.

-- Simon Thompson, MusicWeb International