Handel: Acis and Galatea

Acis and Galatea is the Dunedin Consort's second Handel recording and follows their hugely successful 1742 version of Messiah, which earned the group a Classic FM Gramophone Award for "Best Baroque Vocal Album" in 2007 and a Midem Award in 2008.

The Dunedin Consort continues its critically acclaimed practice of recording unusual but authentic recording versions of well-known works; Acis and Galatea is no exception. The Consort has recorded the Original Cannons Performing Version from 1718.

There are notable differences in the Cannons version including changes in instrumentation and vocal scoring (there is no alto line) made by Handel to suit the forces at Cannons. This includes one-to-a-part choruses, in a similar manner to the choruses in the Consort’s Matthew Passion recording.

Director John Butt chose this version because of the small forces involved (which was one of the aspects that made Messiah so distinctive) and although there have been 'first versions' of Acis recorded before, Butt felt that there were certain aspects of the original version that had not yet been sufficiently realised.

Acis and Galatea is a beautiful pastoral entertainment, Handel's first dramatic work in English, with a simple yet highly emotional story that encompasses the extremes of love and tragedy.

In 2007, the Dunedin Consort’s tenth anniversary year, the group reached a new level of critical acclaim, culminating in the Classic FM Gramophone Award for Messiah in the Baroque Vocal category. This is the only such award presented to a Scottish group in recent years (and the first to an ensemble that is not a Scottish National Company or BBC orchestra) and now gives the Dunedin Consort a truly international reputation.

“A genuine sparkle which lifts Handel's music above the ordinary, and a fresh angle for just about every moment.” The Scotsman

The soprano Suzie LeBlanc enjoys an enviable celebrity throughout the world. Her expressive range combines sensitivity and emotion with a crystalline voice of unparalleled purity. Her repertoire extends from the Baroque (for which she has a partiality) to the music of her native Acadia. She has made 15 recordings for ATMA. The present disc, of Handel, will help listeners discover this fascinating voice.