Georg Friedrich Händel Album: «Handel: Organ Concerti Op.4»

- Customers rating: (5.0 of 5)
- Title:Handel: Organ Concerti Op.4
- Release date:2005-05-24
- Type:Audio CD
- Label:Avie
- UPC:822252205527
- 1Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/4, HWV 292: Allegro
- 2Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/4, HWV 292: Andante
- 3Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/4, HWV 292: Adagio
- 4Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/4, HWV 292: Allegro
- 5Organ Concerto in B flat major, Op.4/2, HWV 290: Sinfonia (A tempo ordinario e staccato - Adagio)
- 6Organ Concerto in B flat major, Op.4/2, HWV 290: Allegro
- 7Organ Concerto in B flat major, Op.4/2, HWV 290: Adagio e staccato
- 8Organ Concerto in B flat major, Op.4/2, HWV 290: Allegro ma non presto
- 9Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/3, HWV 291: Adagio
- 10Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/3, HWV 291: Allegro
- 11Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/3, HWV 291: Adagio
- 12Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/3, HWV 291: Gavotte (Allegro)
- 13Organ Concerto in B flat major, Op.4/6, HWV 294 (originally for harp): Andante allegro
- 14Organ Concerto in B flat major, Op.4/6, HWV 294 (originally for harp): Larghetto - Adagio
- 15Organ Concerto in B flat major, Op.4/6, HWV 294 (originally for harp): Allegro moderato
- 16Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/5, HWV 293: Larghetto
- 17Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/5, HWV 293: Allegro
- 18Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/5, HWV 293: Alla Siciliana
- 19Organ Concerto in F major, Op.4/5, HWV 293: Presto
- 20Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/1, HWV 289: Larghetto e staccato - Adagio
- 21Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/1, HWV 289: Allegro
- 22Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/1, HWV 289: Adagio
- 23Organ Concerto in G minor, Op.4/1, HWV 289: Andante
I'll make this quick: Halls is AMAZING. He and the ensemble breathe new life into what is a very fixed part of the repertoire. Take good players and great music, add rubato, interesting ornamentation, and passion, and the result is a must-have CD.
This is one of the few disks I'll grab if the house is burning down, or if I'm banished to a desert island for being considered too antisocial in my little town because I prefer to hide away from the locals & listen to music such as this as much as I can!
Everything about this disk is simply beautiful - the superb choice of chamber organ, the unassuming virtuosity & total commitment of the performers (one player to each part resulting in an intimacy not heard on other recordings), & the magical sense that Handel himself could have breezed in to suggest ideal tempi & to give a thumbs-up to the imaginative ornamentation & cadenzas. Add to these qualities the excellent clarity of the recording, &, of course, the sheer gorgeousness of the concertos themselves, & you're in for a ravishing experience.
I'm not a big Handel fan. But I heard this on the radio and just loved it. The recording, the performance, the music... all wonderful.
People who don't know much about classical music often ask me to recommend recordings for them. I'll put this near the top of the list. It's very engaging and easy to listen to.
Highly recommended.

