Polifemo

In Greek mythology, nymphs have an unfortunate tendency to fall for heroes who, though valiant and glorious, are nonetheless mortal. No sooner has their love blossomed than a torrent of tears more bitter than the Mediterranean flows from it. So it is with Galatea, in love with the shepherd Acis, and Calypso, in love with Ulysses, the ingenious victor of the Trojan War. But love, especially when it's divine, is never a smooth ride. The Cyclops Polyphemus, monstrous son of the god of the seas, overflows with desire for Galatea and holds Ulysses' sailors captive on his island. Only cunning will enable them to triumph over this one-eyed giant. In the 18th century, Nicola Porpora (1686-1768) was one of the great masters of vocal music. An outstanding voice teacher, he trained the best castrati for the pyrotechnic roles in the opera seria he composed and popularized throughout Europe. Invited to London in the early 1730s, he competed with Handel on his own turf with Polifemo, featuring the two star castrati of the era: Senesino and Farinelli, to whom he entrusted the moving aria "Alto Giove". Three centuries later, Emmanuelle Haïm, the Concert d'Astrée and a virtuoso cast bring this rare treasure back to life for the first time in France, in a cinematically-referenced staging by Bruno Ravella.