BaL 19.04.25 - Handel: Acis and Galatea

[Pulcinella]

3.00pm
Building a Library: Handel's Acis and Galatea
Mark Lowther talks to Andrew and recommends his personal choice to buy, download or stream
Written to a text by John Gay, of Beggar's Opera fame, the composer modestly described it as "a little opera". But it's packed with great tunes and beautiful dramatic moments

Presto list of available recordings here:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/54346--handel-acis-and-galatea/browse

[smittims]

I think there'll only ever be one recording for me, the clacsic Boult on OiseauLyre, reissued on CD by Chandos courtesy of Peter Moores' support. It has so many treasures, iincluding Thurston Dart and the Philomusica of London , JoanSutherland and Peter Pears.

I don't know who chose JS for this recording but she reappeared in Boult's Messiah a little later.

[Pulcinella]

I have the ASMF/Marriner recording in a Double Decca incarnation:

• Benjamin Luxon (baritone), Philip Langridge (tenor), Robert Tear (tenor), Jill Gomez (soprano)
• Academy of St Martin in the Fields
• Sir Neville Marriner
• Recorded: 1978-01-21
• Recording Venue: St. John's, Smith Square

No idea what prompted me to buy it (possibly in a sale) and can't say I've listened to it more than a couple of times.

[smittims]

You prompted me to look and discover that I had forgotten I have the John Eliot Gardiner recording with the English baroque soloists and Willard White as Polyphemus. In my case I have listened to it only once, ( must give it another airing sometime) but I can remember what prompted me to buy it. it's in a jumbo box of Handel 'oratorios' though it's not , of course, an oratorio!

[vinteuil]

I have the Scholars Baroque Ensemble on naxos, and the excellent William Christie recording with les Arts fflorissants on erato; also Handel's earlier version Aci Galatea & Poliphemo with Emmanuelle Haïm, and Mendelssohn's version with Nicholas McGegan. There's probably a John Eliot Gardiner recording lurking somewhere...

[MickyD]

With so many excellent Handel recordings under his belt, I always found it strange and regrettable that Decca never asked Christopher Hogwood to record this work. I think he would have made a good job of it.

[jch48]

I only know the Dunedin Consort recording and it absolutely brings to life something that when I sang in the chorus mostly did not inspire me

[Darloboy]

Previous BaL recommendations:

George Pratt (Oct 92): First choice was a pre-conviction Robert King + Pinnock and Hogwood (both the Mozart arrangement) as joint second choices + London Baroque/Medlam for Aci, Galatea & Polifemo

Lucie Skeaping (Mar 2000): First choice was Christie + King as 2nd choice + Peter Schreier for the Mozart arrangement

David Vickers (July 09) chose John Butt

In addition, the Boult recording was recommended by Patrick O'Connor in a Joan Sutherland BaL survey in Nov 96.