CalPerformances presents Mark Morris Dance Group world premiere performance of Handel's Acis and Galatea
featuring Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale
2014-04-26
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA
8:00 PM, Saturday, April 26, 2014

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

1. [8:07 PM] Sinfonia
2. [8:10 PM] Chorus: O the pleasure of the plains!
3. [8:12 PM] Recitative, Galatea: Ye verdant plains and woody mountains
4. [8:12 PM] Air, Galatea: Hush, ye pretty warbling choir!
5. [8:13 PM] Air, Acis: Where shall I seek the charming fair?
6. [8:15 PM] Recitative, Damon: Stay, shepherd, stay!
7. [8:16 PM] Air, Damon: Shepherd, what art thou pursuing?
8. [8:19 PM] Recitative, Acis: Lo! Hear my love!
9. [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]

[9:09 PM; lights down, waiting]

1. [9:10 PM] Introduction
2. [9:13 PM] ? Introduction II
3. [9:17 PM] Chorus: Wretched lovers!
4. [9:21 PM] Recitative, Polyphemus: I rage, I melt, I burn!
5. [9:23 PM] Air, Polyphemus: O ruddier than the cherry
6. [9:28 PM] Recitative, Polyphemus: Whither, fairest, art thou running
7. [9:29 PM] Air, Polyphemus: Cease to beauty to be suing
8. [9:33 PM] Air, Damon: Would you gain the tender creature
9. [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]

• Thomas Cooley as Acis: tenor vox;
• Zach Finkelstein as Damon: tenor vox;
• Sherezade Panthaki as Galatea: soprano vox;
• Douglas Williams as Polyphemus: baritone vox.

• 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

• 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: 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.

• 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.

• Michael Chybowski: 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: set design;
• Mark Morris: artistic director, choreographer, director;
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): musical arrangement;
• Isaac Mizrahi: costumes.

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!

• Joshua Kosman
• Alastair Macaulay
• Mark Swed
• Allan Ulrich

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

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