Handel's concertos HWV 295 ('The Cuckoo and the Nightingale') and HWV 296a feature musical imitations of bird calls, specifically the cuckoo and the nightingale.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Handel's organ concertos were designed to compete directly with the famous castrato Farinelli, with the organ's sound challenging the ideal of the human voice.
Critical Reception
Handel's Opus 4 organ concertos were extremely popular, republished at least 13 times by 1770, often for solo keyboard, indicating they were played at home like Haydn or Clementi sonatas.
Compositional Technique
Many movements in Handel's organ concertos include instructions for improvisation, giving performers great freedom in musical figuration and development, similar to jazz improvisation.
Interpretation
Pianist Ragna Schirmer performs these concertos on various keyboard instruments, ranging from an 18th-century fortepiano to a modern concert grand and a 1957 Hammond B3 organ.
Composition History
Handel's organ concertos, including those on this album, were originally conceived as interludes for his English-language oratorios, which replaced his Italian operas.
Recording & Production
This album includes a commissioned work by contemporary composer Guillaume Connesson, based on themes from Handel's organ concertos, representing a modern interpretation of Handel.
