Handel's oratorio, Acis & Galatea, is a fine work, definitely one of
Handel's better oratorios.  It mixes arias for solo voice with duets and
choral passages.  There is also an arrangement for the work by Mozart which
Pinnock on Archiv and Spering on Opus 111 directed expertly.

I received in the mail yesterday the new recording on Erato directed by
William Christie.  The orchestral playing is very good but not excellent as
in the Pinnock version; it's just too laid back.  The soloists and chorus
are very good, particularly Sophie Daneman who as Galatea has the lion's
share of the arias.  She has a beautiful and expressive voice which I could
listen to all day.

Overall, this is a very good set.  My sole reservation concerns Christie.
I find that he never does less than a highly competent job, but there's an
excitement and incisiveness often missing from his performances.  However,
Acis is not a work often recorded, and Christie's is probably the best
non-Mozart version around.  I must say that I prefer the Mozart arrangement
done by Pinnock and Spering, primarily because I think those conductors get
more out of the work.

Don's conclusion - Acis/Christie -  Worth Purchasing.

Don Satz
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