The organ used for this recording, built by Rieger in 2011, is in Vienna's Musikverein and is considerably larger than the instruments Handel played, offering a wide palette of colors for these concertos.
Interpretation
The Op. 7 concertos include 'ad libitum' sections, where Handel, a renowned improviser, left the solo parts blank for the organist to improvise, often alternating with orchestral ritornelli.
Compositional Technique
Handel established a new instrumental genre by positioning the organ as a virtuoso instrument in the concert hall, not just the church.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in January 2021 in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, a venue world-famous for its beauty and impeccable acoustics.
Composer Biography
Handel once engaged in a notorious, hours-long keyboard duel with Domenico Scarlatti in Rome, where he defeated Scarlatti on the organ, though they were equally matched on the harpsichord.
Composer Biography
Handel's father initially wanted him to pursue a career in law, but the Duke of Saxe-Weisenfels intervened, recognizing Handel's extraordinary talent for the organ.
Composition History
Handel's organ concertos were not written for church, but for opera houses and theaters, emerging from the fierce competition between London's theatrical venues.
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