HANDEL Organ Concertos Op. 4

The Academy of Ancient Music / Richard Egarr (organ & direction)

 

In the 1730s Handel was prepared to try any novelty in order to remain at the centre of the musical scene in London. This is what prompted him to interpolate concertos for organ, with himself as soloist, in performances of his oratorios. Their considerable success soon led to the publication of a whole set of such concertos: it is this edition, corrected with great care by the composer himself, that Richard Egarr has used for the present recording.

 

The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is one of the world’s main period instrument orchestras. Concerts across six continents and over 250 recordings since its formation by Christopher Hogwood in 1973 demonstrate AAM’s pre-eminence in music of the Baroque and Classical periods. The AAM is Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge.

 

AAM has made a number of celebrated recordings for harmonia mundi. Andrew Manze led the orchestra in Bach’s Solo and Double Violin Concertos, in a Vivaldi programme, Concert for the Prince of Poland, and in Concerti Grossi by Handel (Op.6) and Geminiani (after Corelli’s Op.5). Paul Goodwin’s releases with AAM include a selection of Christmas music by Schütz and his contemporaries, the Mozart singspiel Zaide, and Eternity’s Sunrise, a world première recording of works by John Tavener.

 

In September 2006, Richard Egarr took up the post of Music Director, succeeding Hogwood who assumes the title of Emeritus Director. Richard Egarr and the AAM have already undertaken tours in the USA, Europe and the UK. Continuing AAM’s strong recording tradition, they have released Bach’s Harpsichord Concertos and the first two volumes of a series dedicated to Handel: the Concerti Grossi Op.3 and the present Organ Concertos.

 

Richard Egarr now records exclusively for harmonia mundi usa. His solo recordings include Mozart Fantasias and Rondos, and most recently J.S. Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier. He released several other recordings of music by J.S. Bach, with Andrew Manze, the Academy of Ancient Music and Jaap ter Linden (harpsichord concertos, gamba sonatas, violin sonatas, a recital Per cembalo solo and the Goldberg Variations). Richard Egarr’s recordings with Andrew Manze also include the violin sonatas of J.F. Rebel, Pandolfi, Handel, Corelli, Mozart, as well as Biber’s Rosary Sonatas, and most recently violin sonatas by Schubert.

 

Harmonia Mundi SACD HMU807446