HANDEL/MOZART: “Acis und Galatea,” K. 566. Lynne...

HANDEL/MOZART: “Acis und Galatea,” K. 566. Lynne Dawson, John Mark Ainsley, Nico van der Meel, Michael George; Handel and Haydn Society, conducted by Christopher Hogwood. L’Oiseau-Lyre 430 563 (two CDs). Mozart arranged Handel’s charming 1718 pastorale masque in 1788 for the Baron van Swieten’s orchestra for performance at Count Esterhazy’s. The younger composer, who remained idolatrous of his late colleague, added wind instruments, filled out string harmonies, eliminated the organ part and, to reflect a less virtuosic school of Austro-Hungarian brass playing, simplified the trumpet line. The anonymous German translation will strike aficionados of the work as odd, especially when “Love sound th’alarm” comes out as “Die Liebe ruft,” but Mozart’s arrangement seems born out of love and necessity, rather than from any desire for “improvement.” Hogwood secures superior playing from his Boston-based period-instrument forces, guiding them with uncommon flair. Dawson’s vulnerable Galatea capitalizes on the British artist’s vibrant soprano, and Ainsley’s Acis marks him as a new star in early-music circles.