A complete version of Georg Frideric Handel's "Acis & Galatea" (Joan Sutherland, Peter Pears, Owen Brannigan & David Galliver) - No. 7

While my two votings are still going on, I decided that I should do something new. Each two months I'm going to put out a whole opera on Youtube. The opera of this month (actually, two months) is Handel's gentle Acis and Galatea. A quite short work, Acis and Galatea still has quite a bit of wonderful music: for example, Galatea's "Hush, ye pretty warbling" and "As when the dove laments her love", Polyphemus's "O ruddier than the cherry" and the duet for two lovers "Happy we". I do hope that you enjoy this beautiful pastoral opera (comments are required). There are many versions to choose from, but my favorite one is the Adrian Boult 1960 recording. Although it isn't terribly authentic (some repetitions are just skipped, there aren't any variations), Adrian Boult leads a very commpassionate recording, the soloists (Joan Sutherland, Peter Pears and Owen Brannigan) are top-notch; actually, everything is absolutely right. The seventh part includes:
15. No. 9 - Aria: "O ruddier than the cherry";
16. Recitative: "Whither, fairest, art thou running".
17. No. 10 - Aria: "Cease to beauty".

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Handel
• Joan
• Sutherland
• Peter
• Pears
• Adrian
• Boult
• Coloratura
• Baroque

[happyman]

the villain sings the most memorable aria.

[LindoroRossini]

Well, I wouldn't agree with you. Galatea's first aria is simply delicious! For me, this is one of Handel's best works, because basically everything is wonderful, there are no numbers which stick out as useless (although it is questionable whether or not the Damon arias are musically relivant). Still, thank you for your opinion!

[hedgechair]

Wonderfully characterful and typical Brannigan! He always sang this way; WITH PERFECT DICTION, huge phrases on one breath, but somehow homespun. I heard him once live, at Glyndebourne in the 60's, and it was a big sound. I consider him a great singer.

[redis213]

my favourite song from the opera:)

[grandadpoppyable]

Everything Handel wrote musically is relevent. And like Correli, musicall pleasing to the ear. The same cannot be said about JS Bach

[OperaAtelier]

If you want to hear O Rudder Than the Cherry live, Opera Atelier's producing Acis and Galatea this October. Our Polyphemus is João Fernandes; watch him sing The Cold Scene from King Arthur by searching King Arthur - Cold Scene and just imagine him as a cyclops!

[seancoxen]

The singer is Owen Brannigan, one of the most coloful and charasmatic basses to make records. The technique lacked proper finish for the melismata, but his huffing style is, I suspect, part of this apt and juicy characterization. He sang it better in a 1958recording of aria only (with Dolmetsch on recorder).

[porcupine500]

It's lovely to hear this recording - having grown up with "early music" performances, this older style sounds exotic and new! And Peter Pears too...

[demonella]

My favourite aria in this opera, but a bit slow for my taste in this version. A nice voice, though.

[jfbecks17]

I love this aria, but every aria is beautiful in this Opera, it is seriously overlooked, but actually starting to become a part of popular repetoire again. I like this aria, although I don't like the way the man sings the meilsmas. I like the trio also, and "As When the Dove" is a close second to this song.