G. F. Händelio opera ''Acis & Galatea''

Acis & Galatea

A pastoral opera in two acts in English

Georg Friedrich Händel 

(1685–1759)

Libretto by John Gay

                      The premiere of Georg Friedrich Händel‘s opera Acis and Galatea is to be presented at the Old Theatre of Vilnius – a co-production of Operomanija and the Old Theatre of Vilnius. The production brings together the vision of director Paulius Markevičius, making his debut in the opera genre, and the musical interpretation of legendary British harpsichordist and conductor Trevor Pinnock.

The ancient myth of Acis, Galatea, and Polyphemus is transformed into a poignant drama about love clashing with a world of brutal force. It is a story of innocence, jealousy, loss, and an innate yearning for light that transcends even the threshold of death.

In this production, Händel‘s pastoral opera unfolds as a dreamlike and visually pulsating world where Baroque music, physical theatre, and metaphorical stage action converge. Playing with the contrasts of light and darkness, movement and sound, myth and reality, a space is created where everything is in constant flux, and transformation becomes the central pivot of the piece.

The premiere presents Händel‘s original orchestration and period instruments, with the international ensemble led by Baroque music authority Trevor Pinnock. It is a rare opportunity to experience the authentic sound of Baroque music and to rediscover a story where the most fragile love proves to be stronger than any destructive force.

Music director: Trevor Pinnock

Director: Paulius Markevičius

Set designers: Ugnė Tamuliūnaitė, Paulina Turauskaitė

Lighting designer: Eugenijus Sabaliauskas

Choreographer: Oksana Griaznova

Costume designer: Ugnė Tamuliūnaitė

Assistant costume designer: Paulina Turauskaitė

Visual identity designer: Visvaldas Morkevičius

Soloists: Lauryna Bendžiūnaitė (Galatea, soprano), Ilker Arcayürek (Acis, tenor), Ruairi Bowen (Damon, tenor), Tadas Girininkas (Polyphemus, bass)

Actors of the Vilnius Old Theatre: Jelena Ragimova, Telman Ragimov, Anžela Bizunovič, Vladimir Dorondov, Liuda Gnatenko, Viktoriia Aliukone-Mirošnikova, Jekaterina Makarova, Jurij Ščiuckij, Kyrylo Kremenčuk, Artur Svorobovič

St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra (Artistic director Modestas Barkauskas), Ieva Baublytė (flute), Nele Vertommen (oboe), Shunsuke Kawai (oboe), Leszek Wachnik (bassoon)

The Vilnius City Municipality Choir Jauna muzika (Artistic director Vaclovas Augustinas)

Conductor: Trevor Pinnock (harpsichord)

Concertmaster: Lina Giedraitytė

Assistant director: Gina Busko

English language mentor: Fiona Laird

Producers: Operomanija, The Vilnius Old Theatre

Supported by: The Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, The Lithuanian Council for Culture, The Vilnius City Municipality

Media partner: LRT

Music director and conductor Trevor Pinnock:

Georg Friedrich Händel’s Acis and Galatea is one of the most popular stage works by this composer. The premiere of this “little opera” (as he himself called it) took place in 1718; the composer later revised the opera several times, and we are performing the version of 1739, in which Handel included a chorus. We sought to recreate Händel’s world of sounds by bringing it closer to the sound of his era, so we use wooden wind instruments of the period – oboes and a bassoon, as well as several types of recorders; I conduct the orchestra from the harpsichord, which, together with the bass instruments, creates the rhythmic framework so important to Baroque sound.

From the overture’s presto and the first chorus that opens the opera, we are quickly drawn into a moving and tragic love story. Through the simple interplay of contrasting solo voices, accompanied by strings and occasional wind instrument solos, Händel demonstrates his mastery - a force of energy that remains powerful to this day, even though three centuries have passed.

Director Paulius Markevičius:

The myth of Acis (Acius / Akido) and Galatea, as described in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, is a story of love confronting brutal force. This story is symbolic: a man falls in love with a nymph – an ethereal, pure being. Their relationship is severed by a brutal force – the Cyclops – an allegory of jealousy and anger, which every era could probably interpret through its own symbols. After all, the most powerful destructive force is unrequited love. The story’s ending, however, brings us back to the hopeful promise that love is eternal, while eternity defeats and gives meaning to everything.

Händel revived this myth through the form of the pastoral opera. The pastoral, as the idea of an idyllic world, becomes one of the essential reference points for the action on stage. The colourful, vibrant, and exhilarating power of music draws us into an extraordinary world. Here, music becomes the primary measure of the architecture of time and space, upon which a poetic, metaphorical narrative is built. By interpreting and quoting choreographic moments of human interaction frozen in Baroque sculpture and painting, the performance combines the means of opera and physical theatre.

Set and costume designer Ugnė Tamuliūnaitė:

The stage space is designed as a dynamic landscape where light, shadow, and organic forms give way to one another, echoing the layers of Händel’s Baroque music. Light acts as the primary force—it sets the mood and transformation, it reveals and conceals. The set design balances between reality and its reflection, and the audience is invited not only to observe but also to immerse themselves in the atmosphere offered. The costumes also convey the relationship between light and shadow.

Set designer and assistant costume designer Paulina Turauskaitė:

The visual expression of the set design was inspired by nature, inviting us to uphold the principles of harmony and purity characteristic of pastoral aesthetics, while also reflecting the emotional states of the characters. Drawing on ancient mythology, the set design highlights the motif of the unity and transformation of humanity and nature, reinforcing themes of love, loss, and eternity.

Duration: 90 minutes (no intermission)

Premiere: 19 and 21 June 2026, at the Old Theatre of Vilnius

In English with Lithuanian and English surtitles