Academy of Antient music, Richard Egarr - Handel: Organ Concertos Op.4 (2008)

Listeners interested in Baroque music looking for smartly recorded, stylishly performed versions of Handel's six Concertos for organ and orchestra, Op. 4, need look no further than this 2006 Harmonia Mundi recording featuring English organist Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music. Though there have certainly been other fine recordings of these popular works in the past, this one need not bow before any of them. Initially trained as a harpsichordist, Egarr proves a superb soloist who gives the music all the excitement it deserves without overburdening it with superficial virtuosity. Even better, he understands the meaning of the music, and in these performances, the works' majesty and frivolity, as well as their melancholy and jollity, are all present in exactly the right proportions. Supported by the pert and professional Academy of Ancient Music and recorded in warm, clear digital sound by Harmonia Mundi, this disc is both a fine introduction to the music and a fine addition to any Handel collection.