Bert Bailey wrote: >Steve Schwartz... > >...raised some convincing points as to why Bach didn't delve into organ >concertos with orchestra. Still, it's a pity, and our loss -- well, at >least for the likes of Donald Clarke and me, to whom the joys of solo >organ are generally elusive. Along with Norman Schwartz' suggestion in a separate message, might there also be the possibility of some number of Bach cantata Sinfonie that feature the organ with the orchestra? I don't know how many there are, but I'm pretty sure there's more than just the famous Cantata #29 Sinfonia (the one adapted from the E Major Unaccompanied Violin Partita's Praeludium). Not full concerti, of course, but at least by JSB, and the orchestration fits the criteria. >>It just goes to show how we experience composers in different ways. >>To me, Handel is exciting, forceful, rude, and crude. Someone once >>wrote of the "bubble and bounce" of Handel. I think of him as Mr. >>Entertainment. > >I just don't know how to respond to this depiction of Handel as a sort >of Neil Sedaka/Mick Jagger of his age. 'Must indeed stand as a proof >of the undispuntandumness of de gustibus, as suggested. Ouch...if a "Mr. Entertainment" label is to be applied, or an analogous modern figure in the musical world to be nominated, my candidate would be Leonard Bernstein. >I like to be entertained, but my recent acquisition of his Violin >Sonatas (Rosand/Sung) aren't likely to be spinning very often in >my CD tray ...and this applies also to his recorder sonatas >(Petri/Jarett), which I've had for longer. It must be my taste for >an even cheaper form of sparkle, I guess, that hampers my listening. I guess I don't want to venture back into the HIP/non-HIP debate, as I admire Aaron Rosand in much of the 19th century repertoire, but there are others whom I would have thought of more readily as advocates for Handel's violin sonatas. Have you heard Manze/Egarr's version? Or if a less-HIP approach is desired, how about Grumiaux's? Or Rachel Barton's? Also, Manze's recording of the Op. 6 Concerti Grossi with the Academy of Ancient Music might be a good "string band" alternative to the organ concerti, being some what similar in their 'pastiche' nature. Some of them even borrow from the organ concerti, and vice versa. >I gather from somewhere that Mozart studied Handel closely, and just >this morning I heard a killer version of his overture to The Marriage >of Figaro on the radio. I'm not sure if there's anything Handelian >about it, but on its strength alone I'd certainly nominate WAM as Mr >Entertainment! So what would you think of Mozart's arrangement of "Messiah?" Bill H. *********************************************** The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html