Thu 11/11-Sat 11/13 @ 8PM
Sun 11/4 @ 2PM
Are you familiar with the opera Acis and Galatea by George Frideric Handel, the first version (there were several) of which debuted in 1718? It’s unlikely; it’s not on the must-stage list of most opera companies, not one there’s another crowd-pleasing production of Madama Butterfly or La Boheme to squeeze in. Despite remaining Handel’s most popular stage work, its popularity pales next to the standards.
Fortunately, Oberlin Conservatory, which trains the future Madama Butterflies, doesn’t have to worry about attracting top-dollar ticket buyers. And so Oberlin Opera Theater is staging the piece, based on a story from Ovid’s Metamorphosis about a pair of star-crossed lovers, always prime opera fodder. In the story Acis was a human shepherd and Galatea was a sea nymph, whose love is destroyed by a jealous giant who — spoiler — kills Acis, but Galatea uses her power to turn him into an immortal fountain. It falls in the genre of “pastoral” operas set in the countryside.
The opera will have four fully staged performances at Oberlin’s Hall Auditorium, with 8pm performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and a 2pm matinee on Sunday.
“The thing I realized about it is that these are tales of people and gods who, because of extreme grief or calamity, become transformed into a tree or a rock,” says director Jonathon Field. “In our case, Acis gets transformed into a stream of water. The basic idea behind it is that extreme grief and extreme loss lead to a metamorphosis. In our own lives people who have experienced extreme loss are never the same. People may say You’ll get over it, but you really don’t. We are transformed by the sudden loss of those who are nearest and dearest to us, and that’s what this piece is all about.”
The cast includes seven principal performers and a 16-voice chorus, with the Oberlin Orchestra under the direction of guest conductor Matilda Hofman supporting them.
Tickets are $10, $8 for students Go here to buy them.
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