Product Details

• Actors: de Niese, Cuthbertson, Workman, Watson, Agnew
• Directors: McGregor
• Language: English (Stereo), Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Bbc / Opus
• DVD Release Date: April 27, 2010
• Run Time: 109 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003757W10
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,366 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Enjoyable Evening's Entertainment, March 20, 2010

By 

Paul Van de Water (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel: Acis and Galatea [Blu-ray] (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.)

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little gem, March 26, 2010

By 

Mr. John A. Coulson "Tassie Devil" (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel: Acis and Galatea [Blu-ray] (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

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beware of choreographers who stage an opera, October 11, 2010

By 

R. Denes (KALAMAZOO, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Acis & Galatea (DVD)

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.