Handel's organ concertos are now played with the sort of balance the composer expected. Gone are the days when the Town Hall organ, complete with pedal reeds, competed with a large orchestra. We are back to the chamber organ (or an appropriately light-voiced section of a grand organ) and our orchestras are of fairly domestic proportions. Koopman and Preston (Archiv Produktion) both fulfill the now accepted basic conditions. Both use 'authentic' instruments, but there is a difference of opinion on how they should be used for this music. Preston is playing with The English Concert, directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock. This provides an impetus not to be found in Koopman's version, in which he directs the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra himself, playing an 1831 instrument by Heuricus Dominicus Lindsen, with continuo played, in Op. 7 and the two Arnold Edition concertos, by Friederike Ernst on an organ by Ahrend. Whereas The English Concert goes for a bright steely tone, matching the sound of the 1766 organ by John Byfield II, the Amsterdam tone is curiously veiled and lends to these concertos an almost fairytale quality. This is the first attempt I have come across to make Handel organ concertos seductive. In my opinion the attempt succeeds very well. Ton Koopman's playing is both brilliant and unpredictable. Surprise is regarded as being important, and it certainly lends an impromptu air to the proceedings. Koopman also, though not all the time, produces an elasticity of rhythm which is sometimes delightful and sometimes maddening.

He more than compensates for this by his impish sense of humour, which has a will o'-the-wisp quality about it.

Even in the generally rather solemn D minor Concerto (HWV304—or, as given here—ARnold Edition No. 1) quirky little runs and errant changes of tempo bring an unexpected chuckle. Simon Preston keeps this work on the dark side throughout. The Concerto Op. 4 No. 2 in B flat makes an interesting comparison. Here Koopman is at his straightest and the rapport between solo organ and strings is especially neat. These strings have a breathy tone which is quite exciting, but reduces the drive. The organ solo uses flute tone throughout. Preston's version has much more bite, much more precision. The strings, backed by harpsichord, complement the slightly edgy organ tone. The solo playing is even straighter, and the ornaments, when they arrive, are quite subservient to the overall pattern. Koopman is quite capable of producing a maze of embellishments, like rococo foliage, and in the slow movement of Op. 4 No. 6, the decoration is so lavish that the tune is anybody's guess.