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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.
Review
''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
Danielle de Niese looks and glides round the stage like a million dollars. --Gramophone,Jan'11
Danielle de Niese looks and glides round the stage like a million dollars. --Gramophone,Jan'11
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
I have viewed this piece twice and was somewhat perplexed first time. I should have done some reading of the essay in the accompanying booklet first to understand better what was involved in this rather unique composition. It is unique in that it was not originally perceived as an opera and Handel left no staging instructions. So this has left the opportunity for imaginative interpretation, something of which the director and choreographer Wayne McGregor took full advantage. He interwove the singing and (minimal) acting with a variety of ballet sequences which might appear odd at first viewing. He explains his philosophy in a very interesting 9 minute extra and this should be viewed first to get full appreciation of the production.
There is a brief illustrated synopsis on the disc but, to me, it does not help very much and a small paragraph in the booklet would have been much better to explain the very simple story of a couple of lovers Acis and Galate and shadowed by a jealous Polphemus who finally kills Acis.
The music is vintage, appealing, Handel extremely well played by Hogwood and his orchestra and beautifully sung by a cast of 50 led by the lovely Danielle de Nice and Charles Workman. I remain puzzled as to why Galatea had to have a rope like blonde wig over her lovely auburn hair but that distraction was soon overlooked as the music wove its magic. Initially the ballet dancing made little sense but after viewing the work a second time and hearing from McGregor his philosophy behind the choreography, it became more evident how much it was an important part of the production, adding significantly to viewing of the work compared to merely listening to the audio. The dancing was sensuous and excellent.
So, this production is a little gem. If you like Handel's music and are prepared to see something quite different, then you should enjoy this disc as much as I did.
John
There is a brief illustrated synopsis on the disc but, to me, it does not help very much and a small paragraph in the booklet would have been much better to explain the very simple story of a couple of lovers Acis and Galate and shadowed by a jealous Polphemus who finally kills Acis.
The music is vintage, appealing, Handel extremely well played by Hogwood and his orchestra and beautifully sung by a cast of 50 led by the lovely Danielle de Nice and Charles Workman. I remain puzzled as to why Galatea had to have a rope like blonde wig over her lovely auburn hair but that distraction was soon overlooked as the music wove its magic. Initially the ballet dancing made little sense but after viewing the work a second time and hearing from McGregor his philosophy behind the choreography, it became more evident how much it was an important part of the production, adding significantly to viewing of the work compared to merely listening to the audio. The dancing was sensuous and excellent.
So, this production is a little gem. If you like Handel's music and are prepared to see something quite different, then you should enjoy this disc as much as I did.
John
Format:DVD
This is a superb production. Great for lover's of Handel.The modern interpretation is brilliant and the fact that the ballet interpretation is going on at the same time as the Opera makes it a very novel event for lover's of both Opera and Ballet. The music by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is brilliant.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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5 reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
A Very Enjoyable Evening's Entertainment
20 Mar 2010
Format:Blu-ray
Acis and Galatea recounts the myth of the doomed love between the shepherd Acis and the nymph Galatea, based on a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Although Handel did not conceive Acis and Galatea as a fully staged production with action, it takes well to the stage. In this respect, it joins other Handel works (such as Theodora, Hercules, and Semele) that have adapted well to a dramatic treatment.
Since the characters (with the exception of the giant Polyphemus) are nymphs and shepherds, a pastoral setting is to be expected. The costumes are slightly odd (Acis and Coridon wear ratty sweaters, for example, and Damon sports a fedora) but generally unobtrusive. The most distinctive feature of this production is that, in most sections, the singers are doubled by dancers from the Royal Ballet, who provide a visual commentary on the text. In the concluding section, Acis's double takes on the role of Acis himself, now transformed into a god.
Danielle De Niese (who was a knock-out as Cleopatra in the Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare) shines both musically and dramatically as Galatea. Charles Workman (whom I first encountered as Jupiter in the DVD of Semele) is equally convincing as Acis. (I'm especially fond of his "Love sounds the alarm.") The expert Handelian Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a fine choral ensemble.
As is often the case these days, you can find extensive excerpts from this DVD on YouTube. If you check them out, I think that you will come to agree with Handel's contemporaries, who made Acis and Galatea one of most performed of the composer's works during his lifetime. It contains some of Handel's finest music and provides a very enjoyable evening's entertainment.
(Note: The Blu-ray and DVD of Acis have been available since March 1 in the U.K., from which I purchased my copy.)
Since the characters (with the exception of the giant Polyphemus) are nymphs and shepherds, a pastoral setting is to be expected. The costumes are slightly odd (Acis and Coridon wear ratty sweaters, for example, and Damon sports a fedora) but generally unobtrusive. The most distinctive feature of this production is that, in most sections, the singers are doubled by dancers from the Royal Ballet, who provide a visual commentary on the text. In the concluding section, Acis's double takes on the role of Acis himself, now transformed into a god.
Danielle De Niese (who was a knock-out as Cleopatra in the Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare) shines both musically and dramatically as Galatea. Charles Workman (whom I first encountered as Jupiter in the DVD of Semele) is equally convincing as Acis. (I'm especially fond of his "Love sounds the alarm.") The expert Handelian Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and a fine choral ensemble.
As is often the case these days, you can find extensive excerpts from this DVD on YouTube. If you check them out, I think that you will come to agree with Handel's contemporaries, who made Acis and Galatea one of most performed of the composer's works during his lifetime. It contains some of Handel's finest music and provides a very enjoyable evening's entertainment.
(Note: The Blu-ray and DVD of Acis have been available since March 1 in the U.K., from which I purchased my copy.)
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
A little gem
26 Mar 2010
Format:Blu-ray
I have viewed this piece twice and was somewhat perplexed first time. I should have done some reading of the essay in the accompanying booklet first to understand better what was involved in this rather unique composition. It is unique in that it was not originally perceived as an opera and Handel left no staging instructions. So this has left the opportunity for imaginative interpretation, something of which the director and choreographer Wayne McGregor took full advantage. He interwove the singing and (minimal) acting with a variety of ballet sequences which might appear odd at first viewing. He explains his philosophy in a very interesting 9 minute extra and this should be viewed first to get full appreciation of the production.
There is a brief illustrated synopsis on the disc but, to me, it does not help very much and a small paragraph in the booklet would have been much better to explain the very simple story of a couple of lovers Acis and Galate and shadowed by a jealous Polphemus who finally kills Acis.
The music is vintage, appealing, Handel extremely well played by Hogwood and his orchestra and beautifully sung by a cast of 50 led by the lovely Danielle de Nice and Charles Workman. I remain puzzled as to why Galatea had to have a rope like blonde wig over her lovely auburn hair but that distraction was soon overlooked as the music wove its magic. Initially the ballet dancing made little sense but after viewing the work a second time and hearing from McGregor his philosophy behind the choreography, it became more evident how much it was an important part of the production, adding significantly to viewing of the work compared to merely listening to the audio. The dancing was sensuous and excellent.
So, this production is a little gem. If you like Handel's music and are prepared to see something quite different, then you should enjoy this disc as much as I did.
John
There is a brief illustrated synopsis on the disc but, to me, it does not help very much and a small paragraph in the booklet would have been much better to explain the very simple story of a couple of lovers Acis and Galate and shadowed by a jealous Polphemus who finally kills Acis.
The music is vintage, appealing, Handel extremely well played by Hogwood and his orchestra and beautifully sung by a cast of 50 led by the lovely Danielle de Nice and Charles Workman. I remain puzzled as to why Galatea had to have a rope like blonde wig over her lovely auburn hair but that distraction was soon overlooked as the music wove its magic. Initially the ballet dancing made little sense but after viewing the work a second time and hearing from McGregor his philosophy behind the choreography, it became more evident how much it was an important part of the production, adding significantly to viewing of the work compared to merely listening to the audio. The dancing was sensuous and excellent.
So, this production is a little gem. If you like Handel's music and are prepared to see something quite different, then you should enjoy this disc as much as I did.
John
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Beware of choreographers who stage an opera
11 Oct 2010
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
For a hammer everything looks like a nail, and for a choreographer any opera looks like a dance! Thus Acis and Galatea, this charming story from Ovid's Metamorphoses, put to a beautiful music by Handel in form of a mascherada, ends up like a modern dance performance.With my ballet dancer/teacher wife, I truly like dance performances, except when I expected to see and hear an opera.
The Royal Opera has a wonderful group of dancers, capable to perform any ballet. They also have very good choreographers. But it is a sorry idea to have a choreographer as the director for the performance of the opera. Here, the primary visual provided to the audience is that of the dancers, who, dressed in tight semi-transparent body-suits mostly placed in the foreground, often in front of the hapless singers. Frequently we do not even see the singers, or even the chorus, singing in the background [because of the filming]. Meantime the dancers jump, slink, roll-around, climb on each-other, and continuosly wriggle their arms and legs. According to my professional dancer wife, it is better to close our eyes and just concentrate on the beautiful voices and the music. I fully agree: I expected to see and hear Handel's opera and not a "Vitus dance" on the stage.
Most singers - visible or not - have good voices and deliveries, especially Ms. DeNiese. Christopher Hogwood and his orchestra produces a magnificent rendering of the music. But the outfits of the solo singers are shoddy and dirty, there is nothing to even suggest that this opera is about mythical demi-gods and shepherds. It rather seems they all came from an asylum.
Thus if you buy this DVD, you should be avare of the product.
The Royal Opera has a wonderful group of dancers, capable to perform any ballet. They also have very good choreographers. But it is a sorry idea to have a choreographer as the director for the performance of the opera. Here, the primary visual provided to the audience is that of the dancers, who, dressed in tight semi-transparent body-suits mostly placed in the foreground, often in front of the hapless singers. Frequently we do not even see the singers, or even the chorus, singing in the background [because of the filming]. Meantime the dancers jump, slink, roll-around, climb on each-other, and continuosly wriggle their arms and legs. According to my professional dancer wife, it is better to close our eyes and just concentrate on the beautiful voices and the music. I fully agree: I expected to see and hear Handel's opera and not a "Vitus dance" on the stage.
Most singers - visible or not - have good voices and deliveries, especially Ms. DeNiese. Christopher Hogwood and his orchestra produces a magnificent rendering of the music. But the outfits of the solo singers are shoddy and dirty, there is nothing to even suggest that this opera is about mythical demi-gods and shepherds. It rather seems they all came from an asylum.
Thus if you buy this DVD, you should be avare of the product.
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