Credits:

Handel / Ronda

Description:

Handel’s Organ Concertos Op.4 and Op.7 were originally composed as interludes to be played between the acts of an oratorio. Handel apparently intended to give the organ, which had previously been used only for liturgical purposes, a new character that would make it more brilliant and appealing to a wider public. These concertos can also be played on the harpsichord. This recording was arranged for solo organ by late-Romantic organist Clment Rollet. Rawle has unabashedly modified Handel’s work, assembling a dense, counterpoint melody that incorporates both organ and orchestral parts, always retaining the luminosity and vivacity characteristic of the original, and completing an arrangement that makes full use of the enormous sound of the modern symphonic organ. The performance is by Italian organist Ivan Ronda, who has received international acclaim for his guest appearances at Westminster Abbe