Acis & Galatea received its premiere in 1718 in the gardens at Cannons as a one-act pastorale, or semi-opera, with a cast of only five singers. It was later revived by Handel in 1732 for the Italian troupe in London, and again in 1739 with changes to the original version, creating the two-act English version known today.

This opera became Handel’s only stage work to never leave the opera repertory, and in 1788 Mozart rescored the work for his patron. The story is drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and tells the story of the shepherd Acis, and his love, the nymph Galatea.