John Kitchen Plays Handel Overtures on the 1755 Kirckman Harpsichord from the Raymond Russell Collection GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685–1759): OVERTURES & SUITES
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John Kitchen plays Handel Overtures on the 1755 Kirckman harpsichord from the Raymond Russell Collection GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685–1759): OVERTURES & SUITES Overture to the Occasional Oratorio Suite in G (HWV 450) 1 [Largo] [1:14] 22 Preludio [2:27] 2 Allegro [2:35] 23 Allemande [2:21] 3 Adagio – [1:56] 24 Courante [1:52] 4 March [1:51] 25 Sarabande [3:23] 26 Gigue [0:58] Overture to Athalia 27 Menuet [1:05] 5 Allegro [2:35] 6 Grave – [0:47] Overture to Il Pastor Fido 7 Allegro [2:23] 28 Largo – [1:18] 29 Allegro [2:16] Overture to Radamisto 30 A tempo di Bourrée [1:59] 8 Largo – [1:11] 9 Allegro [2:01] Overture to Teseo 31 Largo – [1:30] Suite in A (HWV 454) 32 Allegro – [1:20] 10 Allemande [5:48] 33 Lentement – [0:35] 11 Courante [3:25] 34 Allegro [1:52] 12 Sarabande [2:22] 13 Gigue [2:55] Overture to Rinaldo 35 Largo – [1:10] Overture to Samson 36 Allegro [3:08] 14 Andante – [3:17] 37 Adagio – [0:55] 15 Adagio – [0:11] 38 Giga, presto [1:22] 16 Allegro [1:47] 17 Minuet [2:20] Total playing time [79:50] Overture to Saul 18 Allegro [4:27] Recorded on 17-18 December 2008 Image (p2): MS excerpt from William Babell’s Delphian Records – Edinburgh – UK 19 Larghetto [2:01] at St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh transcription of Rinaldo www.delphianrecords.co.uk Producer/Engineer: Paul Baxter Photography: Raymond Parks 20 [2:54] Allegro 24-bit digital editing & mastering: Paul Baxter Design: Drew Padrutt With thanks to the University of Edinburgh 21 Andante larghetto [minuet] [1:59] Instrument preparation: John Raymond Booklet editor: John Fallas and to Eleanor Smith and Wayne Weaver GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685–1759): OVERTURES & SUITES Overture to the Occasional Oratorio Suite in G (HWV 450) 1 [Largo] [1:14] 22 Preludio [2:27] 2 Allegro [2:35] 23 Allemande [2:21] 3 Adagio – [1:56] 24 Courante [1:52] 4 March [1:51] 25 Sarabande [3:23] 26 Gigue [0:58] Overture to Athalia 27 Menuet [1:05] 5 Allegro [2:35] 6 Grave – [0:47] Overture to Il Pastor Fido 7 Allegro [2:23] 28 Largo – [1:18] 29 Allegro [2:16] Overture to Radamisto 30 A tempo di Bourrée [1:59] 8 Largo – [1:11] 9 Allegro [2:01] Overture to Teseo 31 Largo – [1:30] Suite in A (HWV 454) 32 Allegro – [1:20] 10 Allemande [5:48] 33 Lentement – [0:35] 11 Courante [3:25] 34 Allegro [1:52] 12 Sarabande [2:22] 13 Gigue [2:55] Overture to Rinaldo 35 Largo – [1:10] Overture to Samson 36 Allegro [3:08] 14 Andante – [3:17] 37 Adagio – [0:55] 15 Adagio – [0:11] 38 Giga, presto [1:22] 16 Allegro [1:47] 17 Minuet [2:20] Total playing time [79:50] Overture to Saul 18 Allegro [4:27] Recorded on 17-18 December 2008 Image (p2): MS excerpt from William Babell’s Delphian Records – Edinburgh – UK 19 Larghetto [2:01] at St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh transcription of Rinaldo www.delphianrecords.co.uk Producer/Engineer: Paul Baxter Photography: Raymond Parks 20 [2:54] Allegro 24-bit digital editing & mastering: Paul Baxter Design: Drew Padrutt With thanks to the University of Edinburgh 21 Andante larghetto [minuet] [1:59] Instrument preparation: John Raymond Booklet editor: John Fallas and to Eleanor Smith and Wayne Weaver Notes on the music The overtures to Handel’s operas and oratorios more, some rather clumsily or over-literally trumpet key of D major. The customary two on Telemann and Muffat). Handel concludes enjoyed a wide currency both during and transcribed by unknown hands. His various sections of the French overture are followed by with an elegant minuet in ABA form, its beyond his own day, often independently publications include Handel’s Sixty Overtures a lyrical adagio in B minor and a rousing march germ borrowed from Reinhard Keiser but, in of the works to which they belonged. from all his Operas and Oratorios Set for the Unusually, the overture to Athalia (1733) is the words of Winton Dean, ‘improved and Documentary evidence attests to this, as Harpsicord or Organ (c.1755), and Handel’s not in the French style, but is cast in the developed … beyond measure’. do the sets of orchestral parts published Overtures from all his Operas and Oratorios three-movement (fast–slow–fast) Italian plan: 6 (and subsequently reprinted) by John Walsh Set for the Harpsicord or Organ (1760). The a spirited allegro in 8 time, a linking grave The overture to Saul is expansive: four separate between the 1720s and 1750s. The overtures overtures continued to be played as solo which requires embellishment, and a further movements, appropriately setting the mood of were also transcribed for solo keyboard keyboard pieces throughout the nineteenth allegro in duple time. Some of this musical splendid celebration and pageantry with which performance and evidently much played in that century, often from reprints of Walsh’s editions material was also used as the basis for the trio Act I of the oratorio commences. The opening form; we cannot doubt that Handel approved and latterly in inflated, if undeniably effective, sonata in G, Op. 5 no. 4, and in the overture allegro in C major, the key in which the oratorio of this, because he himself made keyboard late Victorian arrangements by organists such to Parnasso in Festa (a work which borrows is largely based, exploits the interplay of various arrangements of a number of them. Handel’s as W.T. Best and others; indeed, the practice extensively from Athalia). instrumental groupings, which can be reflected friend, the formidable Mrs Delany, whose continued well into the twentieth century. The on the keyboard only to some extent. The copious correspondence is a source of so music is so strong and of such integrity that it Radamisto begins with a strong, arresting gentle larghetto in A minor leads into a further much valuable first-hand information, refers to survives transcription well. musical gesture, and makes much use of C major allegro which features the organ as a Handel playing excerpts of oratorios and other tirades, those characteristic upbeat flourishes solo instrument. Once again, Handel concludes works on the harpsichord. Of the eight transcriptions included here, which had been a feature of the French with a minuet in which his extraordinary Radamisto and Teseo are believed by Terence overture since its invention by Lully in the melodic gift is apparent in the soaring violin line Five transcriptions of overtures survive in the Best to be authentic Handel, although the 1650s. The fugue is a fine example of Handel’s which spans almost two octaves. composer’s own hand, but the Handel scholar sources are not autograph. The other six, all flexible approach to fugal writing. Terence Best believes from stylistic evidence particularly fine pieces, are taken from Walsh’s The opera Il Pastor Fido dates originally from that Handel was responsible for about Sixty Overtures. Handel shows endless The overture to Samson is one of Handel’s 1712, and was expanded and revised in 1734. twenty in total.1 Best draws his convincing resource in these works; although almost all finest, although the transcription published The 1712 version begins with an overture in conclusions largely from the manner in which are French overtures, the variety is remarkable. by Walsh and played here is rather literal. The D minor, of which an incomplete keyboard the orchestral textures have been adapted transcriber has made no attempt to render transcription in Handel’s hand has come down and recomposed to produce idiomatic Handel’s Occasional Oratorio was hastily idiomatically the repeated notes of the string to us.2 For the 1734 revival Handel substituted keyboard writing. John Walsh published many assembled, using much borrowed material, texture, and other textural aspects are also the present F major overture which is an entirely in 1746; it was a piece of patriotic propaganda rather unsatisfactory. Here (and elsewhere) I different piece (using some borrowed material). It was included in Walsh’s Sixty Overtures, and 1 See George Frideric Handel: Twenty Overtures in in support of the Hanoverian monarchy, a have taken the liberty of adapting and filling authentic keyboard arrangements, edited by Terence response to the Jacobite rising led by Prince out the textures to some extent. The opening is a characteristic French overture, beginning Best in three volumes (Novello, 1985). Best’s preface Charles Edward Stuart. The oratorio itself is andante is in triple time and in two repeated is highly informative, providing much information about not highly regarded, but it contains much fine sections; a short adagio cadenza leads into 2 It has been recorded by the present author on the 1765 the source materials and discussing the methods of music, not least its stirring overture in the a particularly energetic fugue (partly based Thomas Parker enharmonic organ at St Cecilia’s Hall on transcription. Twelve Organs of Edinburgh, Priory PRCD 700AB. Notes on the music The overtures to Handel’s operas and oratorios more, some rather clumsily or over-literally trumpet key of D major. The customary two on Telemann and Muffat). Handel concludes enjoyed a wide currency both during and transcribed by unknown hands. His various sections of the French overture are followed by with an elegant minuet in ABA form, its beyond his own day, often independently publications include Handel’s Sixty Overtures a lyrical adagio in B minor and a rousing march germ borrowed from Reinhard Keiser but, in of the works to which they belonged.