American Bach Continues Season with Handel

Statue of Acis embraced by Galatea (from the American Bach program book)

Yesterday afternoon at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, American Bach resumed its 36th season with a full-length performance of Handel’s HWV 49 opera Acis and Galatea. The title roles were sung by tenor James Reese and soprano Nola Richardson, respectively. Galatea is a sea nymph that has fallen in love in Acis. However, she is loved by the giant Polyphemus (sung by baritone Douglas Ray Williams), who, towards the end of the second act, murders Acis. Nevertheless, Galatea has divine powers, which she used to transform Acis into a fountain. (In the immortal words of Anna Russell, “I’m not making this up, you know!”)

The narrative may demand extreme suspension of disbelief, but Handel’s music is consistently engaging. All three vocalists delivered solid and confident accounts without letting either the overall narrative or the words themselves interfere with an engaging delivery. Mind you, the overall performance was a bit on the long side; but it had to contend with the many convoluted twists and turns in the libretto. The instrumental side was consistently well-balanced under the baton of Artistic Director Jeffrey Thomas, with recorder performances by Stephen Hammer and Kathryn Montoya that brightened up the instrumental textures. This may not have been “Handel’s finest hour;” but the performance was a consistently enjoyable one, making for an afternoon well spent.