Search - George Frideric Handel, Christian Schmitt, Nicol Matt :: George Frideric Handel: Organ Concertos (First Complete Recording of the Breitkopf Urtext Edition) - Christian Schmitt, Organ / Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra / Nicol Matt

Great performances, not the best mix

Michael Moran | 05/12/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The orchestra in this recording just sparkles in performance and in the clarity of the recording. The organ was apparently picked up by room microphones and lacks presence. The organ's level does not balance with the orchestra either. I've heard better vinyl LP recordings of some of this work, sound-wise and, in the case of the organist, performance-wise."

Outstanding Value Set of Great Music

Thomas Gleim | Gaithersburg, MD United States | 02/05/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Handel's Organ Concertos, written (mostly) for his own use, are near or at the top of any list of his greatest instrumental compositions. They overflow with joy, verve and the elemental life energy that makes birds sing or people bother to get out of bed in the morning. Even the many classical music lovers who don't especially appreciate organ music can respond to these sparkling masterpieces. Even a small classical library should contain at least one great recording of these works. So how does this recording stack up?



Performances: "Good", on average. Things start rather poorly, with a stiff and earthbound reading of the first concerto, but thereafter things generally improve. Christian Schmitt is a fine soloist, though I found him to be somewhat overly cautious and lacking in real imagination. Perhaps this resulted from a decision to deliver a fairly literal reading of this new edition of the scores, or perhaps he wasn't inspired by the "recording studio" experience. Several times I found myself wishing that BC had given us recordings of "live" performances instead. But mostly he still finds the exuberance at the heart of these works. He also has a fine registrational sense and manages to show off the instrument quite well.



The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under Nicol Matt - a BC house workhorse - delivers alert and energetic accompaniment (modern instruments, period practice). In Concerto 6 (HWV 294), we get both the organ and harp versions, with Charlotte Balzereit doing a yeoman's job on the harp. (Also included are several stand-alone organ fugues, but Schmitt manages to make them sound like mere academic exercises.)



Organ: The instrument is a fine neoclassical Muehleisen (1992) in the Evangelical Schlosskapelle, Stuttgart. It boasts 21 ranks distributed over Hauptwerk, Positif and Pedal. Disposition and voicing reflect "South German" style of the golden age. Upperwork is understated, giving the instrument a certain lack of brilliance, which I nonetheless found attractive. It isn't at all idiomatically "English", but I found it a very good choice for this repertoire and much enjoyed hearing it.



Engineering: Almost ideal. BC delivers a "middle of the chapel" sonic perspective with the organ and orchestra in a very realistic balance. Let it be noted that with the orchestra using modern instruments and the period organ sounding on very low wind pressure, the dynamic balance definitely favors the orchestra. That seems realistic to me. I think the balance would have been more equal had the orchestra played on period instruments, but this isn't a serious problem.



On balance: An good, enjoyable recording. It lacks the inspiration and imagination of a truly great recording, so I wouldn't want this to be my only recording of the works. But you can definitely find much to admire here, and at the BC price point this set gives outstanding value. The bilingual booklet (English and German) contains a good essay on the history of the works and information on the artists and the organ. Recommended.

"