Handel wrote his organ concertos for his own use, playing them as preludes or during pauses in his oratorio performances, often improvising the solo parts.
Composition History
Handel's organ concertos are among the earliest of their kind, and he became familiar with the concerto form during his stay in Italy from 1707 to 1709.
Performer Biography
Capella Savaria, founded in 1981 by flutist Pál Németh, is an ensemble dedicated to performing 17th and 18th-century music on authentic instruments.
Compositional Technique
Handel's organ concertos are generally written for a one-manual organ without an independent pedal keyboard, making them also performable on the harpsichord.
Instruments
The organ used for this recording, located in the Mount Calvary Church in Szombathely, was built by the Eule Company according to the design principles of Gottfried Silbermann's famous 18th-century instruments.
Performer Biography
Franz Haselböck, the organist on this recording, is a teacher and performer who is interested in both standard and unpublished organ repertoire.
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