The 84th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival draws to a close with a never-before-seen performance in both the Maggio and Florence — the final opera of Jean-Baptiste Lully, Acis et Galatée. Federico Maria Sardelli is at the helm as the conductor, with Benjamin Lazar directing the show.
Adeline Caron designed the sets, while Alain Naillet was responsible for the costumes and Gudrun Skamletz for the choreography.
Acis et Galatée is an opera in three acts, complete with a prologue, based on a libretto by Jean Galbert de Campistron. This marks the last completed work by Lully who, after decades championing the tragédie lyrique genre, wrapped up his prolific theatrical career in 1686 with this pastorale-héroïque. This subgenre brings together divine and mortal characters, aristocrats and shepherds, and was commissioned by the Duke of Vendôme as a tribute to the Dauphin of France, a guest at the Anet castle.
The narrative of the libretto is drawn from the legend of Aci and Galatea, depicted in Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses. The shepherd Aci is enamored with the water nymph Galatea. However, his love is challenged by the monstrous Cyclops Polyphemus, who, upon facing rejection, murders Aci in a jealous rage by crushing him under a rock. In a turn of events, the god Neptune intervenes, reviving Aci and transforming him into a river.
Though it is a minor genre, containing only three acts compared to the usual five in the tragédies lyriques and featuring fewer musical numbers, Lully does not forsake the regal tone that marks his major works. In Acis et Galatée, every line is recited with remarkable precision, capturing each inflection of the verse, alongside the music, which resonates with the opulent and imposing tones characteristic of the great tragédies.
These elements contributed to the immediate appreciation by the audience. As a result, Acis et Galatée quickly became an integral part of French musical theater history, earning its due recognition.
ARTISTIC TEAM
Conductor : Federico Maria Sardelli
Director : Benjamin Lazar
Set Design : Adeline Caron
Costumes : Alain Blanchot
Lighting : Christophe Naillet
Collaborative Director : Elizabeth Calleo
CAST
Acis : Jean François Lombard
Galatée : Elena Harsányi
Polyphème : Luigi De Donato
Apollon, Télème, Le Prêtre de Junon : Sebastien Monti
Neptune : Guido Loconsolo
Comus, Tircis : Mark van Arsdale
Diane, Deuxième Naïade, Scylla : Valeria La Grotta
L'Abondance, Aminte, Première Naïade : Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli
Une Dryade : Silvia Spessot
Un Sylvain : Davide Piva
Other Projects
OrfeoCollaborative Director
La Dame de la MerThis is the Project type
Acis et GalatéeCodirector
Der Fliegende HolländerDirector
Contact
Email: elizabethcalleo@gmail.com
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© Elizabeth Calleo