# Mark Morris Dance Group and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale perform Handel's Acis and Galatea at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, April 26, 2014

[CalPerformances](http://calperformances.org/events.php?event=8665) presents Mark Morris Dance Group world premiere performance of Handel's _Acis and Galatea_  
featuring [Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra](http://www.philharmonia.org/) and Chorale  
2014-04-26  
[Zellerbach Hall Auditorium](http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/)  
[U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=U.C.+Berkeley,+Bancroft+Way+at+Telegraph+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA&hl=en)  
8:00 PM, Saturday, April 26, 2014

[[2014-04-25|Back to the previous event]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Back to the 2014 yearbox]] ☸ [[:2014#april_events|Back to the 2014 event list!]] ☸ [[2014-04-27|On to the next event!]]

# George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) (arr. Mozart): Acis and Galatea

## Act One

[8:00 PM curtain up, no lights yet]  
[8:05 lights down, announcements]

01. [8:07 PM] Sinfonia
02. [8:10 PM] Chorus: _O the pleasure of the plains!_
03. [8:12 PM] Recitative, Galatea: _Ye verdant plains and woody mountains_
04. [8:12 PM] Air, Galatea: _Hush, ye pretty warbling choir!_
05. [8:13 PM] Air, Acis: _Where shall I seek the charming fair?_
06. [8:15 PM] Recitative, Damon: _Stay, shepherd, stay!_
07. [8:16 PM] Air, Damon: _Shepherd, what art thou pursuing?_
08. [8:19 PM] Recitative, Acis: _Lo! Hear my love!_
09. [8:20 PM] Air, Acis: _Love in her eyes sits playing_
10. [8:22 PM] ?
11. [8:26 PM] ?
12. [8:26 PM] ?
13. [8:28 PM] ?
14. [8:31 PM] Recitative, Galatea: _Oh! didst thou know the pains of absent love_
15. [8:31 PM] ?
16. [8:37 PM] Air, Galatea: _As when the dove_
17. [8:41 PM] Duet, Galatea & Acis: _Happy we!_
18. [8:44 PM] Chorus: _Happy we!_  
[8:47 PM; set ends]

{{:2014:2014-04:acis.jpg?400|}}

## Act Two

[9:09 PM; lights down, waiting]

01. [9:10 PM] Introduction
02. [9:13 PM] ? Introduction II
03. [9:17 PM] Chorus: _Wretched lovers!_
04. [9:21 PM] Recitative, Polyphemus: _I rage, I melt, I burn!_
05. [9:23 PM] Air, Polyphemus: _O ruddier than the cherry_
06. [9:28 PM] Recitative, Polyphemus: _Whither, fairest, art thou running_
07. [9:29 PM] Air, Polyphemus: _Cease to beauty to be suing_
08. [9:33 PM] Air, Damon: _Would you gain the tender creature_
09. [9:36 PM] Recitative, Acis: _His hideous love provokes my rage_
10. [9:39 PM] Air, Acis: _Love sounds th'alarm_
11. [9:42 PM] Air, Damon: _Consider, fond shepherd_
12. [9:45 PM] ?
13. [9:48 PM] Recitative, Galatea: _Cease, O cease, thou gentle youth_
14. [9:48 PM] Trio, Galatea, Acis, Polyphemus: _The flocks shall leave the mountains_
15. [9:50 PM] Chorus: _Mourn, all ye muses!_
16. [9:51 PM] Solo (Galatea) and Chorus: _Must I my Acis still bemoan!_
17. [9:55 PM] Recitative, Galatea: _'Tis done: thus I exert my pow'r divine_
18. [10:00 PM] Air, Galatea: _Heart, the seat of soft delight_
19. [10:04 PM] Chorus: _Galatea, dry thy tears_  
[10:07 PM; show ends]


## Performers

### Cast

* [Thomas Cooley](http://www.thomascooley.com/) as _Acis_: tenor vox;
* [Zach Finkelstein](http://www.zachfinkelstein.com/) as _Damon_: tenor vox;
* Sherezade Panthaki as _Galatea_: soprano vox;
* [Douglas Williams](http://www.douglasrwilliams.com/) as _Polyphemus_: baritone vox.

### Mark Morris Dance Group

* Chelsea Lynn Acree: dancer;
* Sam Black: dancer;
* Rita Donahue: dancer;
* Benjamin Freedman: apprentice dancer;
* Lesley Garrison: dancer;
* Lauren Grant: dancer;
* Brian Lawson: dancer;
* Aaron Loux: dancer;
* Laurel Lynch: dancer;
* Dallas McMurray: dancer;
* Maile Okamura: dancer;
* Brandon Randolph: apprentice dancer;
* Billy Smith: dancer;
* Noah Vinson: dancer;
* Jenn Weddel: dancer;
* Michelle Yard: dancer.

### Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra - members and brief description of instrument maker and origin

[Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra](http://www.philharmonia.org/)

* Paul Avril: horn - Richard Seraphinoff, Bloomington, Indiana, 1998; after A. Halari, Paris, 1825;
* Elizabeth Blumenstock: violin - Andrea Guarneri, Cremona, 1660; on loan from the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Period Instrument Trust;
* Danny Bond: principal bassoon - Peter de Koningh, Hall, Holland, 1985; after Grenser, Dresden, Germany, ca. 1800;
* David Daniel Bowes: principal viola - Richard Duke, London, ca. 1780;
* Phoebe Carrai: cello - Joseph Panormo, London, England, 1811;
* Maria Ionia Caswell: viola - William Old, Falmouth, England, 1895; violin - Antoni Rief, Vils, Tyrol, Italy, 1725;
* Lisa Grodin: violin - Laurentius Storioni, Cremona, Italy, 1796;
* Paul Hale: cello - Joseph Grubaugh & Sigrun Seifert, Petaluma, 1988; after A. Stradivari;
* Diane Heffner: clarinet - Daniel Bangham, Cambridge, England, 1993; after H. Grenser, Dresden, Germany, ca. 1810;
* Eric Hoeprich: principal clarinet - A. Grenser, Dresden, ca. 1785;
* R. J. Kelley: principal horn - M. A. Raoux, Paris, 1850;
* Katherin Kyme: concertmaster, violin - Johann Gottlob Pfretzschner, Mittenwald, Germany, 1791;
* Anthony Martin: principal viola - Aegidius Kloz, Mittenwald, Germany, 1790;
* [Nicholas McGegan](http://www.nicholasmcgegan.com/): conductor, music director, harpsichord;
* Carla Moore: principal second violin - Johann Georg Thir, Vienna, Austria, 1754;
* Maxine Nemerovski: violin - Timothy Johnson, Bloomington, Indiana, 1999; after A. Stradivari;
* Ellie Nishi: viola - Aegidius Klotz, Mittenwald, Germany, 1790;
* Farley Pearce: contrabass - George Stoppani, Manchester, England, 1988; after A. Amati, 1560;
* Mindy Rosenfeld: flute - Roderick Cameron, Mendocino, California, 1997; after J. H. Grenser, Dresden, Germany, ca. 1790;
* Gonzalo Ruiz: oboe - H. A. Vas Dias, Decatur, Georgia, 1988; after C. A. Grenser, Dresden, Germany, ca. 1780;
* Marc Schachman: principal oboe - Sand Dalton, Lopez Island, Washington, 1993; after Floth, ca. 1800;
* Stephen Schultz: principal flute - Martin Wenner, Singen, Germany 2011; after A. Grenser, ca. 1790;
* Sandra Schwarz: violin - Johannes Cuypers, The Hague, 1789;
* Laurie Young Stevens: violin - Rowland Ross, London, 1995; after A. Amati;
* Noah Strick: violin - Celia Bridges, Cologne, Germany, 1988;
* Tanya Tomkins: principal cello - Joseph Panormo, London, England, 1811;
* Kate van Orden: bassoon - Peter de Koningh, Hall, Holland, 1985; after Grenser, Dresden, Germany, ca. 1800;
* Hanneke van Proosdij: principal fortepiano - Thomas & Barbara Wolf, Washington, D.C., 1990; after Schantz, ca. 1780; generously lent by Nicholas McGegan;
* Jolianne von Einem: violin - Rowland Ross, Guilford, England, 1979; after Antonio Stradivari, Cremona;
* Lisa Weiss: violin - Anonymous, London; after Testore;
* Kristin Zoernig: principal contrabass - Joseph Wrent, Rotterdam, Holland, 1648.

### Philharmonia Baroque Chorale

* Angela Arnold: soprano vox;
* Jennifer Ashworth: soprano vox;
* John Bischoff: bass vox;
* Matthew Curtis: tenor vox;
* Jeffrey Field: bass voxs;
* Elliot Franks: alto vox;
* Kevin Gibbs: tenor vox;
* Tom Hart: bass vox;
* Jimmy Kansau: tenor vox;
* David Kurtenbach: tenor vox;
* Bruce Lamott: director;
* Katherine McKee: alto vox;
* James Monios: bass vox;
* Pamela Sebastian: soprano vox;
* Jonathan Smucker: tenor vox;
* Eric Tuan: tenor vox;
* Heidi Waterman: alto vox;
* Jacque Wilson: alto vox;
* Angelique Zuluaga: soprano vox.

### Production Credits

* [Michael Chybowski](http://www.michaelchybowski.com/): lighting;
* John Gay (1685-1732), with Alexander Pope (1688-1744) and John Hughes (1677-1720): libretto;
* George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): original music;
* [Adrianne Lobel](http://adriannelobel.com/): set design;
* [Mark Morris](http://www.mmdg.org/): artistic director, choreographer, director;
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): musical arrangement;
* [Isaac Mizrahi](http://www.isaacmizrahiny.com/): costumes.


## Notes
 
I'd been looking forward to tonight's show ever since it was announced, about a year ago, and the actual event pretty well met my high expectations. While not quite as theatrical or dramatically produced as _Plateé_, the standard ruler I'd used in setting my expectations, the dancing, dramaturgy, and musical accompaniment were all first rate. I *loved* Isaac Mizrahi's costumes -- very simple, sheer, flowing pants for the men, and vaguely Greek/Roman sleeveless gauzey dresses for the women, both printed to match the abstract woods of the background onstage. While the prime character's outfits shared this color scheme, the men all seemed rather dorky: shepherds and giant monsters wearing leisure suits? Suspension of belief was rather more difficult in this attire, and no one seemed well served by those costuming choices. Happily, as hinted in my initial comments, tonight's production was really primarily about the music and dance, with acting and story really pared back to the minimum necessary to keep the action moving forwards. Like usual, Morris injected healthy doses of levity and saucy humor into the mix, exemplified best by the two takes on _Happy We_ ending the first set, and the hilariously campy _I Rage, I Melt, I Burn_ at the start of the second. The latter was so funny that I hoped it would be reprised as an encore, but all we got were the usual waves of bows, oh well!

Nicholas McGegan seemed to be really enjoying himself -- at least to the extent that I could tell by watching his arm waves and vigorously bobbing head shakes -- and the PBO really outdid themselves, with a glorious performance of Mozart's reworking of the original Handel score.

Looking at the mismatch between my timing data and the program headings, my guess is that I made more than a few mistakes, accidentally adding time markers on repeats. Oh well. It's very hard to be perfect!

### Reviews

* [[http://www.sfgate.com/performance/article/Acis-and-Galatea-review-Morris-vibrant-take-5433787.php|Joshua Kosman]]
* [[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/29/arts/dance/mark-morris-stages-acis-and-galatea.html?_r=0|Alastair Macaulay]]
* [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-mark-morris-review-20140428-story.html#axzz30IIxyuwN|Mark Swed]]
* [[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e14e341a-ceb9-11e3-8e62-00144feabdc0.html#axzz30Kq8B9hU|Allan Ulrich]]

{{:wip.png?nolink}}  **Whoa!**  This section is incomplete for now, sorry! {{:wip.png?nolink}}

{{tag>music dance opera Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart George_Frideric_Handel John_Gay Philharmonia_Baroque_Orchestra Zellerbach_Hall_Auditorium Mark_Morris Nicholas_McGegan Thomas_Cooley Zach_Finkelstein Sherezade_Panthaki_ Douglas_Williams  Michael_Chybowski Adrianne_Lobel Isaac_Mizrahi
 Elizabeth_Blumenstock David_Daniel_Bowes Phoebe_Carrai Maria_Ionia_Caswell Michael_DuPree Lisa_Grodin Paul_Hale Diane_Heffner Eric_Hoeprich Fred_Holmgren Katherine_Kyme Tyler_Lewis Nicholas_McGegan David_Morris Maxine_Nemerovski Ellie_Nishi Annalisa_Pappano Farley_Pearce Kent_Reed Marc_Schachman Andrew_Schwartz Charles_Sherman William_Skeen Laurie_Young_Stevens Noah_Strick David_Tayler John_Thiessen Hanneke_van_Proosdij Jolianne_von_Einem Lisa_Weiss Alicia_Yang Kristin_Zoernig Daniel_Zuluaga Angela_Arnold Jennifer_Ashworth John_Bischoff Randall_Bunnell Daniel_Cromeenes Matthew_Curtis Elliot_Franks Kevin_Gibbs Jimmy_Kansau Claire_Kelm David_Kurtenbach Bruce_Lamott Katherine_McKee James_Monios Mark_Mueller Daniel_Pickens-Jones Chad_Runyon Jonathan_Smucker Eric_Tuan Ian_Walker Heidi_Waterman Jacque_Wilson Helene_Zindarsian Angelique_Zuluaga
}}

[[2014-04-25|Back to the previous event]] ☸ [[:#section2014|Back to the 2014 yearbox]] ☸ [[:2014#april_events|Back to the 2014 event list!]] ☸ [[2014-04-27|On to the next event!]]