Last autumn Christian Curnyn and the Early Opera Company released an exceptionally fine Acis and Galatea on Chandos. Do we really need another account of Handel’s early pastoral? In a word, yes. The difference between the two is marked. If Curnyn’s account comes bounding into the ear covered in sweat and stage-makeup, then Christophers’ is a concert-hall creation. If that makes it sound lacklustre then that couldn’t be further from the truth. A close comparison actually makes Curnyn’s swifter speeds seem almost frenetic, pushed a little hard compared...