Review: Acis and Galatea by Co-Opera and Ensemble Galante
How better to welcome spring than with Handel’s pastorale story of love, loss and magic, Acis and Galatea, staged in the Adelaide Botanic Garden?
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Botanica Lumina becomes Botanica Musica. How better to welcome spring than Handel’s pastorale story of love, loss and magic, Acis and Galatea, with five fine young voices and the wonderful Ensemble Galante?
This long overdue collaboration was so successful.
“At last an event,” said my mate. “Something to go to”.
For two evenings, the conifer lawn was filled with music lovers, enraptured by the performance. The five singers, aided by tactful amplification and crisp diction, held your attention at all times.
Directors Nicholas Cannon and Monique Hapgood kept the action and their cast moving. For which, exposed on that stage, they were truly grateful.
In costume, they were in character, out of costume they were chorus.
Victoria Coxhill’s impressive Galatea and Katrina Mackenzie’s bright shepherdess shone out.
The men’s voices were lighter in texture, but Alex Roose’s vampiric Polyphemus showed a confident technique and impressive low notes in “O ruddier than the cherry”.
James Nicholson’s light flexible tenor was an asset to the ensemble, but Kim Worley’s tuneful and engaging Acis was crowned by a superb and heroic “Love sounds the alarm”.
Joshua van Konkelenberg led from the harpsichord, and Ensemble Galante with Ben Dollman’s baroque violin were authentically tuneful and stayed in pitch, no mean feat in the open air.
Dollman, oboist Celia Craig and flautist Tim Nott actually came on stage to add their voices to some arias. Nott’s nimble flageolet bird impersonation was particularly agreeable.
I saw it twice. I’ll happily see it again, but indoors next time. My delight was accompanied by the unmusical sounds of my creaking joints.
Acis and Galatea
Co*Opera and Ensemble Galante
Adelaide Botanic Garden
Botanica Lumina project