| |
| Teldec/Conifer (Full price) (CD) ZB8 35282 (three discs, nas). From FK6 35282 (7/77). |
|
| |
| Op. 4—selected comparison |
|
| |
| Preston, English Concert, Pinnock (12/84) 413 465-2AH2 |
|
| |
| Op. 7—selected comparison |
|
| |
| Preston, English Concert, Pinnock (1/85) 413 468-2AH2 |
|
Preston's performances on Archiv Produktion are notable for their tireless energy and wonderful ongoing sense. The total effect gives the impression of many hours spent on drill and precision, and it is this quality above all that one admires. Tachezi and Harnoncourt take a totally different line. They wish to re-create the atmosphere of improvization which must have dominated these concertos in Handel's day, his increasing blindness making him rely more on the impact of his impromptu gifts. These Viennese performances were deliberately planned to allow maximum freedom in this respect, the orchestral having to respond all the time to new challenges from the organist. All cadenzas and ad lib. sections are true improvizations, and astonishing and often amusing they are. I have found them very refreshing, infecting the listener with a spirit of adventure.
Tachezi is a will-o'-the-wisp, whose course one follows with some astonishment. The element of conversation between orchestra and soloist is very marked and it's possible to see the grins when some unexpected elaboration bobs up. The organ sound is particularly bright and entertaining. Hearing this 1977 recording for the first time, in its new CD format, I am quite captivated by it, Tachezi and Harnoncourt displaying such imagination. The approach is so different from Preston and Pinnock that I would like to have both versions—but if that were impossible, then I'd plump for these highly-diverting touches of Tachezi.
GR