Mozart’s take on Handel’s Opera

Handel’s Acis and Galatea in a classical version by Mozart

In a delightful mise en espace by Pierre Audi, a touching love story unfolds, set to music by Handel, in a classical Viennese orchestral version by Mozart.

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Leonardo García Alarcón - image: Jean-LouisFernandez
dates and tickets
The moving arias were, and continue to be, an instant hit.

In a delightful mise en espace by Pierre Audi, a touching love story unfolds, set to music by Handel, in a classical Viennese orchestral version by Mozart.

Save as favorite
The moving arias were, and continue to be, an instant hit.

Concert programme

  • George Frideric Handel

    Acis and Galatea (orchestration W.A. Mozart)

Performers

  • Leonardo García Alarcón

    conductor

    Leonardo García Alarcón - image: Jean-LouisFernandez
  • Mark Milhofer

    tenor

    image: via Athole Still Artists
  • Keri Fuge

    soprano

    Keri Fuge
  • Valerio Contaldo

    tenor

    image: via Florence Brunel agence artistique
  • Guy Cutting

    tenor

    image: Ben McKee
  • Sreten Manojlović

    bass

    image: Moritz Schell
  • Nederlands Kamerkoor

    choir

    Nederlands Kamerkoor
  • Pierre Audi

    creative partner

    image: Anne Dokter
  • Urs Schönebaum

    light and scenography

Dates and tickets

About this concert

George Frideric Handel, who lived and worked in England, called Acis and Galatea his ‘little opera’. The Baroque master knew better than anyone how to bring to life the story of the nymph Galatea, the shepherd Acis and the jealous giant Polyphemus. The moving arias were, and continue to be, an instant hit. Indeed, Acis and Galatea would go on to become Handel’s most popular work for the operatic stage – a high point in English pastoral opera. 

Just over half a century later, the charming love tragedy still stood firm, with no one less than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart making an adaptation for Viennese audiences. With this very rarely heard orchestration of Acis and Galatea, the nonconformist early music conductor Leonardo García Alarcón is making his Concertgebouworkest debut. The visionary director Pierre Audi, the orchestra’s creative partner, has conceived an exciting mise en espace. 

This programme is made possible with financial support from Ammodo.