Don’t confuse this work, variously described as a cantata
or serenata a tre, with the better-known English masque
or pastoral opera Acis and Galatea which Handel composed
for performance at Cannons ten years later. Though he borrowed
extensively from the Italian version in several operas, the
two versions of the story of Acis and Galatea have little in
common apart from the quality of the music and the source of
the plot, Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In brief, the nymph Galatea
is loved by the shepherd Acis and reciprocates his love, but
not that of the giant Polyphemus, who grows increasingly insistent
in pressing his suit. In a jealous rage, Polyphemus destroys
Acis by hurling a huge rock at him. The gods take pity on Galatea
and allow her to merge in the sea with Acis, now transformed
into a river.
I frequently find myself enjoying the audio-only aspects of
opera DVDs where I very much warmed to the performance and was
put off by unnecessarily off-beat direction, but I have to say
that this takes the biscuit. I’d better start by welcoming the
fact that this is the first DVD recording of this charming early
Handel work, then get my disappointment out of the way.
For some completely unfathomable reason, as you will see from
the cast list above, we have two each of the protagonists –
one to sing and another, similar but not quite identical in
appearance and garb, to mime the emotions of the characters,
as if they were not apparent from what they sing. Directors
appear to be increasingly apt to treat audiences as too unintelligent
to understand the action and in need of supplementary assistance,
as in the recent recording of Handel’s Admeto where Japanese
dancers mime the agonies about which the king is singing at
the opening, just in case we don’t get the point. (Unitel Classica
DVD 702008 – see review).
Even worse, the Stuttgart version of Wagner’s complete Ring
is marred by such distractions as Mime banging on a plate when
he is supposed to be attempting to re-forge the sword Nothung,
a feat later accomplished by a loutish Siegfried on a furnace
in a corner of a domestic kitchen. (Euroarts DVD 2057368 – see
review.)
Such nonsense distracts from the music, as it does again here.
Davide Livermore’s name on the box as director and designer
should have warned me of what was to come. MusicWeb Seen and
Heard reviewer Jack Buckley encountered some of director his
work at last year’s Rossini Opera Festival. In the production
of Rossini’s Demetrio e Polibio, he noted that:
Davide Livermore’s direction piled meaninglessness onto meaninglessness...
For goodness sake don’t try to read any meaning into any of
this: meaninglessness is clearly the order of the day... This
is not so much theatre within theatre as theatre without theatre.
(See review).
On this occasion, however, he concluded that it very nearly
worked: the Rossini plot is, in any case, as JB puts it, a mish-mash.
In Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo I found the direction
an absurd distraction – after one run through, I had to listen
to the music sans picture, in which case this became for me
an audio-only experience, to be compared with the only other
available recording, on Virgin, under the direction of Emmanuelle
Haïm (5455572, two CDs). Sara Mingardo features as Galatea on
both recordings, with Sandrine Piau as Aci and Laurent Naouri
as Polifemo and the accompaniment provided by the Concert d’Astrée
on the Virgin CDs.
You’ll find my review of the errant Stuttgart Wagner interwoven
with my appreciation of the Reginald Goodall ENO cycle, which
Chandos have now issued at an attractive price on a single 8GB
USB memory stick. Goodall restored my sanity, as rehearing the
Haïm recording did on this occasion.
I recommended that Virgin set in my April 2009 Download
Roundup and I stand by that recommendation now in preference
to the new recording. You can find two of the items from the
Virgin set, one each from Polifemo (solo) and Aci and Galatea
(in duet) on the two-CD anniversary edition of Handel Arias
and Duets on Virgin 6960352. As Göran Forsling writes, “this
set makes a fine addition and in many cases the readings included
here must be ranked among the very best” (see review)
– I warn you, however, that the quality of what you hear will
make you want the complete set of Aci, Galatea e Polifemo,
and probably those of several of the other works, too.
Though Mingardo sings well on both versions, she seems to share
my lack of enthusiasm for the new production – I imagine that
it was hard enough trying not to laugh at all the antics, let
alone sing to her best ability – and the other two singers are
good, but no match for their counterparts on Virgin. Perhaps
they would have done better if they had not been constantly
yoked to their emoting partners. Nevertheless, my preference
for the singers on the Virgin set is comparative: Ruth Rosique’s
soprano voice sounds well on its own and blends well with Sara
Mingardo’s mezzo.
Laurent Naouri on Virgin copes admirably with the extraordinarily
wide range of Polifemo’s part. Antonio Abete on the DVD is somewhat
less secure at the top and bottom of his range; though he makes
a visually powerful Polifemo, thanks to the make-up department
who have given him and his double an horrendous slash across
one eye, he’s less impressive, less menacing vocally. Handel
gives him some fine music, as when he expresses his hope that
Galatea will not always treat him thus (Non sempre, no, crudele,
part 1, track 8); here and throughout Abete mostly makes a decent,
but not ideal interpreter of the role.
The orchestra and conductor are never less than efficient, with
a good sense of baroque style, but the playing cannot match
that of their rivals on CD. Compare the two versions of the
Overture – a movement from an Op. 3 Concerto on Virgin and a
Siciliano on the DVD – and the Italian players emerge
from the comparison sounding just a little ragged. On this occasion
a good regional orchestra is no match for an ensemble of superb
baroque specialists.
From what we see at the opening, this is a beautiful regional
theatre. I was less impressed by the scenery depicting the interior
of an indeterminate building with sand-strewn floor (the beach?),
flaming candles, which really should receive the attention of
the Health and Safety Executive and a rolling cloudscape, sometimes
changing to butterflies, or foreshadowing Polifemo as he approaches,
projected onto two of the walls – yet another distraction. The
original cantata or serenata was presumably performed without
any scenery, but the revival at the Haymarket Theatre of a conflation
of the Italian and English versions prescribed a pastoral setting
quite different from what we have here. The bed may be a fairly
obvious prop, except that some pretty adult material takes place
on the floor, but the step-ladder – apparently left behind by
some painters – seems somewhat superfluous, other than for Aci
and occasionally Galatea to climb to do some emoting.
At the beginning of the second part it seems as if we have lost
the second pair, with the singers alone on the stage – but not
for long. The explicitness of some of the ensuing goings-on
suggests that the recording should have been awarded a 15 rating.
The camerawork is generally very effective. The picture quality
is good, as is the sound, especially when played via an audio
system. The notes are brief but informative and there is a decent
synopsis, backed up by idiomatic subtitles. This is good in
parts, but there are too many distractions for me to recommend
other than that you seek out the recording directed by Charles
Medlam on Harmonia Mundi, with Emma Kirkby, formerly available
at budget price, or the Haïm recording on Virgin.
Brian Wilson
Aci - Ruth Rosique (soprano); Cristina Banchetti (mime);
[98:00] 
