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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Handel: Acis and GalateaOriginal Cannons Performing Version 1718
Acis and Galatea is the Dunedin Consort's second Handel recording and follows their hugely successful 1742 version of Messiah, which earned the group a Classic FM Gramophone Award for "Best Baroque Vocal Album" in 2007 and a Midem Award in 2008. The Dunedin Consort continues its critically acclaimed practice of recording unusual but authentic recording versions of well-known works; Acis and Galatea is no exception. The Consort has recorded the Original Cannons Performing Version from 1718. There are notable differences in the Cannons version including changes in instrumentation and vocal scoring (there is no alto line) made by Handel to suit the forces at Cannons. This includes one-to-a-part choruses, in a similar manner to the choruses in the Consort’s Matthew Passion recording. Director John Butt chose this version because of the small forces involved (which was one of the aspects that made Messiah so distinctive) and although there have been 'first versions' of Acis recorded before, Butt felt that there were certain aspects of the original version that had not yet been sufficiently realised. Acis and Galatea is a beautiful pastoral entertainment, Handel's first dramatic work in English, with a simple yet highly emotional story that encompasses the extremes of love and tragedy. In 2007, the Dunedin Consort’s tenth anniversary year, the group reached a new level of critical acclaim, culminating in the Classic FM Gramophone Award for Messiah in the Baroque Vocal category. This is the only such award presented to a Scottish group in recent years (and the first to an ensemble that is not a Scottish National Company or BBC orchestra) and now gives the Dunedin Consort a truly international reputation. “A genuine sparkle which lifts Handel's music above the ordinary, and a fresh angle for just about every moment.” The Scotsman “…the performance is utterly magical. The five singers and the band are beautifully in proportion with each other, an Linn's sound recording is stunningly good.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2009 “The chief strength of this account lied in the excellent instrumental playing (the recorders that form the 'warbling choir' addressed in Galatea's first aria are sheer magic)…” BBC Music Magazine, January 2009 *** “…this near-perfect ensemble effort is a delightful representation of Handel's first English masterpiece. Butt flawlessly judges the transition into pastoral tragedy and magical transformation…” BBC Music Magazine, October 2009 “Handel's Acis and Galatea has been recorded often, but the original version written for smallscale performance by only five singers (soprano, three tenors and bass) and a small band at Cannons in 1718 has almost never been properly revived. This beggars belief because the Cannons version text makes more dramatic sense and the musical scale of it is charming. It is certainly among Handel's most perfect creations.
Thankfully, John Butt has researched the performing conditions and text of the Cannons Acis.
The philological aspects of the Dunedin Consort & Players' new recording are impeccable, and, better still, the performance is utterly magical.
The Sinfonia brims with unforced personality, after which the pastoral chorus 'O the pleasure of the plains' is relaxed, with the oboes given enough space to weave their imitative lines clearly. The five singers and the band are beautifully in proportion with each other, and Linn's sound recording is stunningly good. Susan Hamilton's light, articulate soprano is preferable to an operatic voice in the role of Galatea.
Nicholas Mulroy's Acis is resonant and suave, combining muscularity with elegance. The madrigal-like beauty of 'Wretched lovers' is breathtaking: the blend and understanding between the five singers is deeply satisfying, and the menacing music to convey the arrival of Polyphemus is astutely integrated. Matthew Brook's Polyphemus is extrovert, powerful and amusing, but also arouses pity and tenderness from the listener in 'I rage, I melt, I burn'. The dialogue between the hapless would-be seducer and the disgusted Galatea is superbly enacted by Brook and Hamilton. The roles of Damon and Coridon are admirably sung by Nicholas Hurndall Smith and Thomas Hobbs.
Butt's direction from the harpsichord is a role model of taste and style, and he insightfully conveys the elusive changing tone of the story from pastoral romp into personal tragedy. Previous versions of merit still possess enduring appeal, but it seems to me that the Dunedins have transformed the way in which we can understand and enjoy Handel's lovely early English masterpiece.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 “a wonderfully intimate reading, which bounces along with the spring and precision of a chamber performance. There is some world-class singing here: Susan Hamilton portrays Galatea with startling clarity and sincerity; Nicholas Mulroy makes an affecting Acis and the tremendous Matthew Brook combines power and pathos as Polyphemus.” The Guardian, 9th November 2008 | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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“A steady and lovely account, with Ainsley on top form.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2009 “An unfailingly delightful work, beautifully performed and recorded” Gramophone Magazine | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Handel: Acis and GalateaIn an arrangement by Felix Mendelssohn
The young Felix Mendelssohn’s acquaintance with Acis and Galatea was due to Carl Friedrich Zelter, his composition teacher and conductor of the Berlin Singakademie. In 1828 Zelter asked Mendelssohn, by then a student at Berlin’s university, to produce rescored versions of both Acis and Galatea and the Dettingen Te Deum for the use of the Singakademie. According to Fanny these orchestrations were a quid pro quo for obtaining Zelter’s blessing on Felix’s proposed revival of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and securing the cooperation of the Singakademie in the venture, which came to fruition on 11 March 1829. The reason behind Mendelssohn’s re-orchestration, lay in the complete change of orchestral texture that occurred between the first and second halves of the 18th century in the transition from the Baroque to the Classical era. With the gradual abandonment of the keyboard continuo in the second half of the 18th century, its filling-in role was taken over by the wind and brass as well as by a fuller string texture. For most numbers Mendelssohn first wrote out the new material for viola, wind and brass separately, and this was then incorporated with Handel’s original parts into a new score. This recording of Mendelssohn’s arrangement of Handel’s Acis and Galatea is a true Oxford project. Not only are the performers (the Oxford Philomusica and the Choir of Christ Church) central in the musical life of the city, but Mendelssohn’s original score is here in the Bodleian Library. Add to that the fact that Handel conducted the work in the Great Hall in Christ Church in 1743 and it is easy to see why I was so excited to be performing it in this new edition of the Oxford manuscript. I set out to view this score through the lens of the early 19th century. It runs counter to the spirit of our own age to take an iconic work from the past and translate it into a contemporary culture, but this was not so in Mendelssohn’s day. His achievement is not only to pay homage to the dramatic and musical skill of Handel but also to stamp his arrangement with his own identity. The result is compelling and has an integrity of its own, providing a fascinating insight into Mendelssohn’s imagination as a composer. Stephen Darlington, 2012 “You might know Mozart's respray of Messiah, but Mendelssohn's Acis and Galatea? This is an attentive performance of an intriguing curiosity.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2012 **** “The Oxford Philomusica are on sparkling form...in 'O ruddier than the cherry', Brindley Sherratt (Polyphemus) is on stupendous form...Benjamin Dale is an agile Acis and Jeni Bern brings a caressingly light touch as the sea-nymph Galatea.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2013 “The choral force are fresh and lively...The Oxford Philomusica creates a lovely sound in the fuller orchestration that Mendelssohn supplied...One feels that this Acis truly loves Galatea...Galatea is sung by Jeni Bern, a very light soprano with clear articulation in her divisions...There is no woolliness in the voice of [Sherratt's] Polyphemus, but rather a clear, dark timbre which makes him obviously the odd man out” International Record Review, February 2013 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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“Christie’s new version… is a polished and strongly characterized performance, finely recorded, and is certainly the first I would urge anyone to try” Gramophone Magazine, 1999 | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | Handel: Acis and Galatea
Acis and Galatea, variously described as a pastoral, a ‘little opera’ and a masque, is one of Handel’s most popular works. It is a delectable succession of pastoral airs, love-lorn lyrics, and sprightly or mourning choruses, spiced by the pungent and unforgettable interjection of the one-eyed giant Polyphemus, who destroys the idyll of the shepherd Acis and the nymph Galatea. Handel had first turned to the subject in a cantata written in Naples in 1708. His English work, formally a masque, went through several stages until this two-act version of 1739, written principally by John Gay and graced by Handel’s exquisite music. “Schwarz's 1991 Seattle Acis is disciplined but passe in sound, style and rhythmic gait. It skimps on Handelian delight, though its soloist quartet is decent.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2012 ** | | | (also available to download from $10.75) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo is now released on CD as part of Dynamic’s baroque series. Originally released on DVD in July 2010, this production featured Sara Mingardo, Ruth Rosique and Atonio Abete in the leading roles. “Florio's live recording...is sharply characterised. Oboe, recorder and trumpet obbligato solos are vivacious, while the gut strings have home-spun warmth and provide an energetic bass-line for the monster Polifemo's flat-footed seductions and precipitous rages...Abete's gnarled cyclops is a fearsome, reckless thing, but mezzo-soprano Sara Mingardo's Galatea and soprano Ruth Rosique's Aci never lose their poise.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2011 **** | | | (also available to download from $21.00) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Handel: Acis and GalateaRecorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, on 8th April 2009.
Danielle de Niese (Galatea), Charles Workman (Acis), Matthew Rose (Polyphemus), Paul Agnew (Damon), Ji-Min Park (Corydon); Lauren Cuthbertson (Galatea - dancer), Edward Watson (Acis - dancer), Steven McRae (Damon - dancer), Eric Underwood (Polyphemus - dancer), Paul Kay (Coridon - dancer) Dancers of The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera Extra Chorus & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Christopher Hogwood (conductor) & Wayne McGregor (director) 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 Extra features: Illustrated synopsis Cast gallery Documentary: Staging Acis and Galatea Running time 110 mins Region code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 2.0 PCM & 5.0 DTS Menu language EN Subtitles FR/DE/ES (extra features only) “Vocally, the star of the show is Matthew Rose, whose pitch-perfect Polyphemus conveys the bruised vulnerability of the inarticulate and ugly...The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment play suavely, with exquisite work from the uncredited sopranino recorders.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 *** “The most compelling moments...tend to be when the OAE, Christopher Hogwood, Handel and the singer are permitted to possess centre stage (both metaphorical and literal)...As usual, Danielle de Niese looks and glides around the stage like a million dollars” Gramophone Magazine, January 2011 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Handel: Acis and GalateaRecorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, on 8th April 2009.
Danielle de Niese (Galatea), Charles Workman (Acis), Matthew Rose (Polyphemus), Paul Agnew (Damon), Ji-Min Park (Corydon); Lauren Cuthbertson (Galatea - dancer), Edward Watson (Acis - dancer), Steven McRae (Damon - dancer), Eric Underwood (Polyphemus - dancer), Paul Kay (Coridon - dancer) Dancers of The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera Extra Chorus & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Christopher Hogwood (conductor) & Wayne McGregor (director) 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 Extra features: Illustrated synopsis Cast gallery Documentary: Staging Acis and Galatea Running time 110 mins Region code All regions Video codec: AVC/MPEG-4 Disc size: BD50 Picture format 1080i High Definition / 16:9 Sound format 2.0 PCM & 5.0 DTS Master Audio Menu language EN Subtitles FR/DE/ES (extra features only) “The most compelling moments...tend to be when the OAE, Christopher Hogwood, Handel and the singer are permitted to possess centre stage (both metaphorical and literal)...As usual, Danielle de Niese looks and glides around the stage like a million dollars” Gramophone Magazine, January 2010 “Vocally, the star of the show is Matthew Rose, whose pitch-perfect Polyphemus conveys the bruised vulnerability of the inarticulate and ugly...The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment play suavely, with exquisite work from the uncredited sopranino recorders.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2010 *** | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Kym Amps (Galatea), Robin Doveton (Acis), David van Asch (Polyphemus), Angus Davidson (Damon) The Scholars of London | | | (also available to download from $10.50) | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. (Available now to download.) |
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| |  | Handel: Acis and Galateaarranged by Mendelssohn
Acis and Galatea was one of the most successful of George Frideric Handel’s works during his lifetime. Nicholas McGegan and his Festspiel Orchester Göttingen, along with the North German Radio Choir, and an excellent ensemble of soloists (including Julia Kleiter and Christoph Prégardien) are heard in this recently discovered version by Mendelssohn. “The most amusing effects are huge bursts of brass and timpani explosions associated with Polyphemus, who is sung with gusto by Wolfe Matthias Friedrich. McGegan directs with liveliness, and it’s hard to imagine this arrangement receiving a better advocate.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2009 “The happy coincidence of Handel and Mendelssohn anniversaries – the 250th of Handel’s death, the 200th of Mendelssohn’s birth – make this a timely issue. Julia Kleiter’s enchanting Galatea, Christoph
Prégardien’s virile Acis and Wolf Matthias Friedrich’s slightly po-faced Polyphemus are superb stylists.” Sunday Times, 18th January 2009 “While no-one nowadays would suggest that Handel's score needs such additions, Mendelssohn was a man of considerable taste, who made his changes with the best possible motives. In 'Hush ye pretty warbling choir'… Mendelssohn's luminous chords have their own elfin magic to replace Handel's quirkier birdsong. Nicholas McGegan sways a light baton over the whole, and both his players and soloists are good, with a scrupulously well-trained choir in attendance.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 **** “The virtues of Acis and Galatea were clear enough more than a century later for the 19-year-old Mendelssohn to arrange the work for the Berlin Sing-Akademie in 1828-29 (with a German version of the libretto prepared by his sister Fanny). One might uncharitably (but accurately) criticise that the teenage Mendelssohn's feverish excitement at discovering Handel led to him throwing everything he could (almost including the kitchen sink, so it seems) at the music. Unlike Mozart's more discreet and softer reorchestration of Acis (1788), there is an intense amount of intervention in Mendelssohn's orchestral score, which is tailored for a full-scale symphony orchestra and large chorus.
Nicholas McGegan and his Göttingen Festival Orchestra gave the modern premiere of Mendelssohn's score at the 2008 Göttingen Handel Festival, and the ensuing recording is crisply detailed. The most amusing effects are huge bursts of brass and timpani explosions associated with Polyphemus, who is sung with gusto by Wolf Matthias Friedrich. Acis is sung with a hint of strain by Christoph Prégardien, and Julia Kleiter's Galatea is efficient.
The NDR Choir are jovial or doleful as the music requires. McGegan directs with liveliness, and it's hard to imagine this arrangement receiving a better advocate. It's bombastic and clumsy in comparison to Handel's delightful original, but the young Mendelssohn's perspective is entertaining.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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