Handel: Acis & Galatea

1. Acis and Galatea, oratorio, HWV 49
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with Julianne Baird , Kevin Deas , David Price , Frederick Urrey , Ama Deus Ensemble
Conducted by Valentin Radu

Tracks:

Sir John Smith His Almain
Forlorne Hope Fancye
(Pavan)
La Jota
Cumbees
Piva
Emporer Of The Moon
La Battaglia (Jannequin)
Voglio di vita uscir'
(A Jig)
The Earl Of Essex Galliard
The Right Honourable
Aria: Come La Rondinella
Greene-Sleeves
The Glory Of The West
The Queen's Jigg
Fantasia
Sarabrand (sic)
Go From My Windoe
Toccata 2a, For Chitarrone
Hor che gli augelli
Je ne seray jamais bergere

Customer Reviews:

Marvellous!!A delicious recording!!!.......2004-10-01

O`Dette! The lutanist that would become popular in Dowlands time! he seems to me like a Leonhardt on lute.I find the lute no less expressive and enchanting than harpsichord or piano when I listen to Mr O`Dette

Rock guitarist turned lutanist.......2002-08-05

I listen to this album over and over and never get tired of it. O'Dette's interpretations keep sounding fresh and alive, perhaps because of his rock background. This was the popular music of the time and he plays it that way. There's no dusty mustiness of age hanging over it.

Customer Reviews:

Fulfilling Overview of the Baroque Era in Music and Words.......2005-05-09

Yet another great bargain-priced package from Naxos effectively provides an overview of the rich Baroque period with two discs containing more than 2 ½ hours of music and a comprehensive, 140-page primer booklet. Compiled by music historian Clive Unger-Hamilton, the collection is well-chosen to represent the many different facets of the era without recycling the more obvious candidates like Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". The quality of the playing and singing is top-notch throughout, and the program contains quite a smorgasbord of pieces from dramatic opera arias to harpsichord pieces (sometimes played on authentic instruments, other times on modern grands) to full-blown choruses. Standout tracks include Allegri's "Miserere mei" with an ethereal boy treble soloist; two arias sung by soprano Ingrid Kertesi, in particular, Almirena's lament, "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Handel's "Rinaldo"; and a lovely "When I am laid in earth" from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" performed by soprano Kym Amps. The choral pieces can be astounding from Bach's "St Matthew Passion (BWV 244)" performed by the large Hungarian Festival Chorus and full symphony orchestra to the eight voices that wrap themselves around "For unto us a child is born" from Handel's "Messiah".

The booklet itself provides great value as you listen to the selections. There is a well written 85-page essay by Unger-Hamilton, who manages to encapsulate an enormous amount of information about this period which leaves a novice like me with a more solid basis of understanding the music of the Baroque era. In fact, what is quite valuable is that Unger-Hamilton provides a specific historical reference for each piece on the recording in his essay. There is also a very helpful glossary and an intriguing timeline which covers musical milestones relative to similar milestones in history, arts and architecture and literature. Moreover, there is an alphabetical list of the key Baroque composers and an accompanying map of Europe with important music centers and the composers associated with these cities. The thoughtful presentation of this package really makes the $8.98 price tag one of the great bargains here.

An Excellent Introduction to the Music of the Baroque Era.......2005-04-04

This is one of a series of the 'Discover ...' 2 CD sets -- at super-budget price -- from Naxos that makes use of complete movements of music from the era in question. It is accompanied by an excellent booklet - a thick one! - with an explanatory essay that gives background on the music as well as blow-by-blow descriptions of the music being presented. All the selections (from such composers as Monteverdi, Handel, Bach, Scarlatti, Schütz, Purcell, Corelli, Pachelbel, Charpentier, et al.) are from Naxos's extensive library of recorded music and as far as I can tell all the performances are top-notch.

In addition there is a Timeline of the Baroque Era that includes material about the music, history, art, architecture and literature of the times. There is a map of Europe that shows where various composers lived and worked. There is a list of composers (more than just those whose music provides the audio examples) with their dates and locations. There is a glossary of common musical terms. There is also an extensive list of music suggested for further listening. I can easily imagine this set being the springboard for a newcomer to baroque music to begin a lifetime of enjoyment of these and similar works.

The presentation is thoughtfully done and the whole thing is in a slipcase that will preserve the CDs as well as the booklet for years to come.

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

Velvet Brown, Tuba

Manufacturer: Crystal Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000JQJG
Release Date: 1999-06-29

Tracks:

Son: Defile - Velvet Brown/Roberto Arosio
Son: Ser - Velvet Brown/Roberto Arosio
Son: Final - Velvet Brown/Roberto Arosio
Salve Venre, Salve Marte - Velvet Brown
Acis And Galatea: As When The Dove - Velvet Brown
Con: Allegro Con Brio - Velvet Brown
Con: Romanza E Scherzino - Velvet Brown
Con: Rondo Bavarese - Velvet Brown
Son: Allegro Moderato - Velvet Brown/Roberto Arosio
Son: Aria - Velvet Brown/Roberto Arosio
Son: Allegro Leggero - Velvet Brown/Roberto Arosio
Stars In A Velvety Sky - Velvet Brown
Four Negro Spirituals: Deep River - David Garcia/Massimo Oldani/Emily Harris/Fabio Costa
Four Negro Spirituals: The Gospel Train - David Garcia/Massimo Oldani/Emily Harris/Fabio Costa
Four Negro Spirituals: Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child - Velvet Brown
Four Negro Spirituals: Joshua Fought The Battle Of Jerico - David Garcia/Massimo Oldani/Emily Harris/Fabio Costa

Handel - Acis and Galatea / Daneman, Petibon, Agnew, Cornwell, A. Ewing, Les Arts Florissants, Christie

Average customer rating:

This Will Charm You
Almost Perfect Acis
Superb performance of an offbeat work
et in arcadia ego
Delightful

Handel - Acis and Galatea / Daneman, Petibon, Agnew, Cornwell, A. Ewing, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
Patricia Petibon , Paul Agnew , Joseph Cornwell , Alan Ewing , Andrew Sinclair , François Piolino , David Le Monnier , Anne-Marie Lasla , and Hiro Kurosaki
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rameau - Zoroastre / Padmore · Berg · Mechaly · Panzarella · Lecroart · Bazola · Bonnet · Revidat · Les Arts Florissants · Christie
Rameau - Les Fetes d'Hebe / Daneman, Connolly, Fouchecourt, Agnew, Felix, Les Arts Florissants, Christie
Charpentier - La Descente d'Orphee aux Enfers / Petibon, Daneman, Zanetti, Agnew, Gardeil, Les Arts Florissants, Christie

ASIN: B00001SIBI
Release Date: 1999-09-21

Tracks:

Acis And Galatea: Act I: Sinfonia - Presto - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act I: Chorus:' Oh, the pleasure of the plains' - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act I: Recitativo: 'Ye verdant plains and woody mountains' (Galatea) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act 1: (Air) Andante 'Hush, ye pretty warbling quire!' (Galatea) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act I: (Air)Larghetto: 'Where shall I seek the charming fair?' (Acis) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act 1: Recitativo: 'Stay, sherpherd, stay!' (Damon) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act 1: (Air) Andante: 'Shepherd, what art though pursuing?' (Damon) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act 1: Recitativo: 'Lo! Here is my love' (Acis) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Act 1: (Air) Larghetto: 'Love in her eyes sits playing' (Acis) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Recitativo: 'Oh! Didst thou know the pains' (Galatea) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Air-Andante: 'As when the dove laments her love' (Galatea) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Duet-Presto: 'Happy we!' (Acis) (Galatea) - William Christie
Acis And Galatea: Chorus: 'Happy We!' - William Christie

Tracks:

Acis And Galatea: Act II: A tempo ordinario: 'Wretched Lovers' - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Recitativo accompangnato-furioso: 'I Rage, I Melt, I Burn' (Polyphemus) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Air-Allegro: 'O Ruddier Than The Cherry' (Polyphemus) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Recitativo: 'Whither, Fairest, Art Thou Running' (Polyphemus, Galatea) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Air-Allegro e staccato: 'Cease To Beauty To Be Suing' - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Air-Allegro: 'Would You Gain The Tender Creature' (Damon) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Recitativo: 'His Hideous Love Provokes My Rage' (Acis) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Air-Allegro: 'Love Sounds Th' Alarm' (Acis) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Air-Larghetto: 'Cosndier, Fond Shepherd' (Coridon) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Recitativo: 'Cease, Oh Cease, Thou Gentle Youth' - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Trio-Andante e staccato: 'The Flocks Shall Leave The Mountains' (Acis, Galatea, Polyphemus) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Recitativo accompagnato: 'Help, Galatea Help, Ye Parent Gods' (Acis) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Adagio ma non troppo: 'Mourn, All Ye Muses' - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Air & Chorus: pianissimo ed Adagio: 'Must I My Acis Still Bemoan' (Galatea) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Recitativo: 'Tis Done: Thus I Exert Pow'r divine' (Galatea) - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: Air-Larghetto - G.F. Handel
Acis And Galatea: Act II: 'Galatea, Dry Thy Tears' - G.F. Handel

Amazon.com

Handel's sunny pastorale ("oratorio" seems too imposing a word) Acis and Galatea is just the thing to cheer you up if you're feeling gloomy, its bittersweet ending notwithstanding. It gets performed and recorded these days in several different versions, ranging from Handel's chamber-scaled 1718 original (using only five soloists, who also make up the chorus) to a German-language arrangement by Mozart with four-part choir and orchestra. William Christie's version follows the one that Handel used for a 1739 revival of the piece, in which he gave the sidekick role of Damon (originally for tenor) to a boy soprano and tacked onto Acis and Galatea's duet "Happy we" a choral reprise. Whatever the variants used, this is by far the best rendition of Acis I've ever encountered. The gentle nymph Galatea is the perfect role for Sophie Daneman's light soprano; Paul Agnew's gorgeous tenor is just as well suited to Acis--ardent and brave, yet light enough that you can believe the giant Polyphemus could crush him with a rock. Because he's the villain, Polyphemus is one of the few characters at whose stupidity one can laugh without feeling mean-spirited; the only problem with Alan Ewing's beautifully sung reading is that it's not very funny--it's perhaps too musically nuanced for a character that dumb. As Damon, Patricia Petibon sounds a bit ripe for a shepherd boy, but she's superb, and her embellishments are ingenious (if not particularly spontaneous); tenor Joseph Cornwell as Coridon gives a marvelous (and surprisingly robust) rendition of "Would you gain the tender creature." Conductor William Christie has chosen well--not just his singers but also his tempi: for example, "Must I my Acis still bemoan" is much slower than usual, and much more convincingly sad. We think of Christie as a French baroque specialist, but he shows a real feeling for Handel here. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

This Will Charm You.......2005-12-09

Wonderfully entertaining, both Handel's delicious music and William Christie's equally delicious performance. Christie's expert orchestra is in especially fine form and captured in an acoustical setting that permits the delicacies of this intimate entertainment to shine but never overwhelm. It is like hearing the work in the hall of one of the great houses of England, which it indeed was in its day.

The soloists are all top-notch, but special praise must be accorded Bass Alan Ewing. His air "O ruddier than the cherry" is delightfully ardent, straying to just this side of the outright randy, if that's an appropriate adjective for a character from a Handel entertainment. It is--just listen to "Semele" sometime! Fine work as well in this air from Sebastien Marq playing the sopranino recorder, a fey little touch by Handel that is just one of many wonderful instrumental flourishes given the royal treatment by Les Arts Florissants.

Almost Perfect Acis.......2004-09-20

My lifelong search for the perfect Acis and Galatea is by no means over, but it has been satisfied for the time being by this spectacular recording a la William Christy and his near perfect cast of baroque crooners. In fact, it's the best version I've heard to date.

ONLY COMPLAINT: the orchestra, while conducted masterfully, is not quite as sharp and articulate, and lacks the bass depth of some versions. DON'T LET THIS SWAY YOU, however, because this is above all a vocal work, and you just can't find a more convincing vocal ensemble than this.

I was moved, and if all your sensate organs are intact, you will be, too. Goes well with a nice glass of Cabernet. If that's not your thing, may I suggest grape Kool Aid, on the rocks.

Superb performance of an offbeat work.......2004-02-09

In the history of opera, "Acis and Galatea" occupies a strange niche. Too short and too episodic to really be considered an opera in the true sense of the word, its light, buoyant score has nevertheless survived 300 years because it is just so good. Where else except perhaps in "Messiah" did Handel come up with so many bouyant, heartwarming melodies--"Hush, ye pretty warbling quire," "Shepherd, what art thou pursuing?", "Love in her eyes sits playing," "As when the dove laments her love," "Happy we," "O ruddier than the cherry" and "Love sounds th' alarm"--backed by such sensitive and original scoring? Granted, most of the score tends towards the lyrical than the allegro, but its deceptive simplicity is exactly what makes it a treasure to listen to.

This is the most spirited performance I've heard since the old Sutherland-Pears, and the most transparent playing and singing I've heard since the Gardiner recording, with a lilt and life all its own. Paul Agnew is a good English tenor, Daneman's slightly fluttery soprano sounds uncommonly good as Galatea, Petibon does a nice job with Damon, and Alan Ewing is a fine, rich-voiced Polyphemus (though he, like all other Polyphemuses since the great Peter Dawson, aspirates his runs in "O ruddier than the cherry"). Christie's conducting, which can sometimes sound a bit staid on records, just bubbles over with life here. A must-have for Handelians, or anyone else who likes Baroque music but is not a fan of the vocal frills and furbelows found in most early 18th-century opera.

et in arcadia ego.......2003-03-26

While I must grant Stuart Howard whatever cup of tea pleases him best, I simply cannot fathom how he could find "Acis and Galatea" "relentlessly sugary-sweet." This music is sweet, yet it is a sweetness shrouded in a melancholy that is all the more profound for lacking all psychological and dramatic motivation, historical pomp, philosophical convolution, and all those other things that amaze small minds but only distract from the true wonder of mortal life. Where else, after all, are "depths" to be found than in love, beauty, joy, sorrow, death, the relation of Gods to Humans --- and what better stands repetition than a work which presents those passions in their purity whose own repetition and alternation is the ineradicable substance of life itself?
In the words of the poet Hölderlin:

Wer das Tiefste gedacht, liebt das Lebendigste,
Hohe Jugend versteht, wer in die Welt geblickt,
Und es neigen die Weisen
Oft am Ende zu Schönem sich.

(Who has thought the deepest, loves what is most alive,
He who has glanced into the world, understands high youth,
And the wise often incline
In the end to the beautiful)

Delightful.......2002-01-06

In this recording by William Christie's crack band of players, the scale is very intimate so one can feel the textures of each individual instrument. No, you will not get the power of a large-scale Messiah, but this piece of art is of a different nature. It is about the open air, the deep love between a shepherd and a nymph, and the tragedy caused by a jealous cyclops. The vocal soloists are all in top form, especially the ladies Daneman and Petibon who seem to be singing sweetly right there in the room with you. A triumph!

Average customer rating:

Battle's wonderful voice is perfect for Handel's Arias
Delectable!

Handel: Arias

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Opera Arias

ASIN: B000002RPV
Release Date: 1991-10-25

Tracks:

Acis And Galatea: Oh, Didst Thou Know...As When The Dove (Galatea
Giulio Cesare: E Pur Cosi In Un Giorno...Piangero La Sorte Mia (Cleopatra)
Joshua: Oh! Had I Jubal's Lyre (Achsas)
L'Allegro, Il Penseroso Ed Il Moderato: Sweet Bird (Penseroso)
Messiah: Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion!
Solomon: Ev're Sight These Eyes Behold (Queen Of Sheba)
Solomon: May Peace In Salem...Will The Sun Forget To Streak (Queen Of Sheba)
Alcina: Ah! Mio Cor! (Alcina)
Alcina: Tornami A Vagheggiar (Morgana)

Customer Reviews:

Battle's wonderful voice is perfect for Handel's Arias.......2005-11-14

This is a wonderful CD. Kathleen Battle's voice is so amazingly sweet, never harsh, always bird-like, flute-like, and sublime in its beauty.

"Oh, didst thou know ...As when the dove" from Acis and Galatea is wonderful in its simplicity of lyric and complexity of voice. Battle's enuciation is wonderful, a soprano that you can actually understand.

"E pur cosi in un giorno...Piangero la sorte mia" from Giulio Caesar is a great treat with Battle singing this wonderful aria as sung by the character Cleopatra.

"Oh! had I Jubal's lyre" is based on the Biblical story of Joshua. Battle's voice rejoices as she sings the part of Achsas in love with the character Othniel.

"L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato", like many of the works on this CD, has illusions to some bird like animal. In this piece Paul Davies plays the flute and establishes the "Sweet Bird" to which Battle replies. It is based on the poems of Milton. The soprano sections mimic and compliment and reflect on the flute which first leads and then follows the sorprano. The flute plays the role of the nightingale and Battle does a wonderful job of immitating the bird.

"Rejoice Greatly" from Handel's Messiah is superb. You have heard it many times, but Battle's version is so CLEAR.

"Every sight these eyes behold" and "May peace in Salem...Will the sun forget to streak" are both from Solomon and Battle sings the role of the Queen of Sheba. The violins are perfect compliments to Battle in these pieces, with a wonderful summary by the violins at the end of "May peace...".

From the opera Alcina she sings "Ah! mio cor!" and "Tornami a vagheggiar".

You will never tire of this CD, with Battle's great voice and Handel's beautiful compositional complexity, it is just great.

Delectable!.......2001-07-16

Interesting selection of Handel arias beautifully performed and recorded. Marriner and the Academy are at their best, and Kathleen Battle's golden voice caresses the music with often ravishing effect. Her interpretations are passionate but tasteful, and her occasional tendency to sound little-girlish is at a minimum. Flawless coloratura!

If you've never heard the aria from Samson: "Will the sun forget to streak?" [sounds a little strange to modern-day ears, but not in context] YOU MUST HEAR THIS CD! It is the most hauntingly beautiful piece. I only wish Battle and Marriner would record another recital of Handel.

Handel: Acis & Galatea
Average customer rating:

PERFECTION essential recording

Norma Burrowes!

Handel: Acis & Galatea

Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

PERFECTION essential recording .......2006-09-13

Essential recording of a Handel masterpiece. This is what Baroque music making should always be. I am not always completely convinced by Gardiner's handling of things when it comes to Handel and Bach but here everything is perfect. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Norma Burrowes!.......2003-12-26

Norma Burrowes - beautiful voice. She has an excellent light sound for this type of music. The other singers are good but she's the best on here, I think. I just wish there where some sound clips so the public could hear how beautiful this CD is! In other news I wish Norma Burrowes would cut another disc!

Grand & Glorious: Great Operatic Choruses

Average customer rating:

Highly enjoyable
Don't know what they're singing, but I like it!

Grand & Glorious: Great Operatic Choruses

Manufacturer: Telarc
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Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1994-03-29

Tracks:

Happy We! - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus
When I Am Laid In Earth/With Drooping Wings - Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus
Zhivi I Zdravstvui
Les Voici
O Welche Lust!
Wach'auf!
Treulich Gefuhrt
Begluckt' Darf Nun Dich
Freudig Begrussen Wir
Vedi! Le Fosche Notturne Spoglie
Que Interminabile Andirivieni!
Zitti, Zitti
Va, Pensiero
Regina Coeli

Customer Reviews:

Highly enjoyable.......2001-06-30

This is a very enjoyable album performed by one of the best American choral ensembles. All the selections are excellent, and well recorded. My 4-star score is because of Shaw's score of the Pilgrim's chorus from Tannhauser; one of most moving choral works ever written. Shaw has the male chorus sing the straight melody through most of it, with what I'd describe as a glee club sound. While wonderfully sung with remarkable control, it lacks (until near the end) the power I've heard in other performances using greater range of choral harmonies available from such a wonderful ensemble. The "Regina Coeli" is truly a gorgeous performance.

Don't know what they're singing, but I like it!.......2000-05-10

I'm not a big opera fan - generally I'm glad when the fat lady sings! But, I love classical music, and a lot of the MUSIC of opera. That said, I really enjoy this disc!

The Atlanta Symphony and Chorus, under the baton of the late, great Robert Shaw, enjoy a well-deserved reputation as one of the preeminent choral organizations. It's just wonderful to hear such a large choir with such command of dynamics - they can shake the room, and they can whisper. The TELARC recording is up to the usual excellent quality - they have captured those dynamics.

I purchased this disc for one reason - because it has Wagner's "Pilgrim's Chorus." And it's magnificent - what a transcendent piece of music! Other selections range from the obscure-but-lovely, to the melodies that have been whistled by everyone at one time or another. Personal favorites include Moussorgsky's "Coronation Scene" from _Boris Godunov_, Bizet's "Les voici" from _Carmen_, and the awe-inspiring "Regina Coeli" from Mascagni's _Cavalleria Rusticana_. There are definitely no "dud" tracks in this collection. It will surely be appreciated by the opera and choral buff, but also by rubes like me, who like the music but don't have a clue what all those foreigners are carrying on about! Know what I mean, Vern?