Opera Atelier will present Handel’s Acis and Galatea (HWV 49) to open their 2024/25 season. The production takes the stage at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre from October 24 to 27.
“We are thrilled to revisit Handel’s masterpiece for the first time since 2010,” says Opera Atelier Co-Artistic Director/Choreographer Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg in a statement. “Sung in English and featuring some of Handel’s most beautiful music for singing and dancing, Acis and Galatea is the perfect introduction to opera and ballet for the entire family.”
The Opera
In a nutshell, Galatea, a water nymph, is in love with Acis, an Arcadian shepherd. Their love becomes dangerous when the jealous Cyclops Polyphemus enters the mix, and it ends in tragedy with a transformational twist. It’s based on the story as described in the poem by Roman writer Ovid in his classic Metamorphoses.
In a letter, the composer described it as a “little opera”, and it premiered in 1718 as a masque in one act. It was later adapted into a three-act work for an Italian troupe in London 14 years later. Later still, in 1739, he expanded the original work in English to two acts.
Today, it’s generally considered as a pastoral opera, and arguably the most important in that niche. With its combination of wit, parody, and a celebration of rural life, alongside its tragic romance. The story, along with its glorious music, made it an instant hit. It was George Frideric Handel’s most popular opera during his lifetime, and has been part of the operatic canon since its debut more than two centuries ago.
Cast & Creative
It will be the first time the company has revisited the popular Handel opera since 2010. The 2024 production features the debuts of French tenors Antonin Rondepierre as Acis and Blaise Rantoanina as Damon. OA’s Co-Artistic Directors have worked with the singers in their Versailles productions.
Antonin Rondepierre is a rising star in the French early music scene, and recently graduated from the Centre de Music Baroque Versailles. He also studied at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. He is a regular performer with period ensembles that include Pygmalion, Les Talens Lyriques, and Marguerite Louise. He was a double prize winner at the Concours international de la Mélodie in Gordes in 2022.
Blaise Rantoanina first trained as a singer at the Laka Music Education Center in Antananarivo, in his native Madagascar. He followed with studies at the CNSMDP (National Conservatory in Paris). Blaise launched his professional career in 2017 with a number of performances across France, and joined the Ensemble of the Trier Opera, where he’s sung several roles.
In addition to Acis and Galatea, other highlights of his 2024 season include performances at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, in The Magic Flute and Nabucco in Toulon, as Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore in Bordeaux, and in Les Mamelles de Tirésias by Poulenc in Limoges and Avignon.
“We are particularly proud to introduce these two superb young tenors to our Toronto audience in their North American debuts,” says Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski. “I have had the pleasure of directing them in Grétry’s Caravane du Caire and Charpentier’s David and Jonathan, and I welcome this opportunity to continue our collaboration.”
Soprano Meghan Lindsay is an audience favourite, and she makes her role debut as Galatea. Bass baritone Douglas Williams sings the role of Polyphemus, the lovesick cyclops.
Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg has created new choreography for the production, to be performed by the full corps of the Artists of Atelier Ballet.
She adds, “Handel clearly loved the ballet, and the music he composed for Acis and Galatea has made it an absolute pleasure to create new period choreography for the superb Artists of Atelier Ballet.”
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra will perform the score live on period instruments, conducted by Christopher Bagan. The Nathaniel Dett Chorale will act as the chorus, as led by Founder/Artistic Director Brainerd Blyden-Taylor.
Sources as wide ranging as François Boucher and Christian Dior inspired resident set designer Gerard Gauci in his work on the production.
- Find tickets and more details about the production [HERE].
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