Rodelinda

Handel Hendrix House in London’s Mayfair holds a substantial collection of keyboard instruments – spinet, organs, and harpsichords – both original from Handel’s own day and reproductions, representing a roster of some of the greatest names from Kirckman and Snetzler to Goetze & Gwynn and Bruce Kennedy’s copy of the Colmar Ruckers harpsichord. From these instruments the acclaimed and ever-thoughtful keyboard specialist Julian Perkins has created a very special recital, conjuring a treasure trove of the timbres and sounds that would have been heard when Handel and his colleagues played music in these very rooms: original works and arrangements by the master himself and his contemporaries, with Carole Cerasi joining as duet partner for Handel’s sumptuous Suite in C minor.

After the album Bach, Little Books , harpsichordist Francesco Corti continues his collaboration with Arcana with a 2-CD recording entirely dedicated to George Frideric Handel. At the center of the project are the eight “Great” suites. These masterpieces were the composer’s first published set, and are a clear testimony to his virtuosity at the keyboard. Their characteristically diversified styles reflect not only the mélange of national traditions assimilated by the young composer, but also his phenomenal improvisatory talent. Moreover, the attraction of these pieces lies in their melodic and rhythmic affinity to the world of singing and orchestral writing, Händel’s strongest interests.