Although the majority of Handel's reputation rests in the orchestral and
vocal areas, he composed some wonderful works for solo keyboard.  Handel's
most well-known body of works for solo keyboard are eight suites for
keyboard, HWV 426-433; these are often referred to as the Eight Great
Suites for Keyboard.

I offer for your consideration six full sets of Handel's Great Suites
along with a few other recordings having three to five suites from the set.
These recordings have other Handel solo keyboard works or works of other
composers, and I will be commenting on those as well.  However, the main
focus of this review project consists of the Eight Great Suites.  The
recordings reviewed are:

Anthony Newman:  HWV 426-433, Sony Essential Classics 62834.
Alan Cuckston:  HWV 426-433 & More, Naxos 8550415/16.  Andrei
Gavrilov/Sviatoslav Richter:  HWV 426-433, EMI 69337(2 Discs).  Blandine
Verlet:  HWV 426-433, Astree 8655(2 Discs).  Paul Nicholson:  HWV 426-433
& More, Hyperion 66931/32.  Scott Ross:  HWV 426-433, Erato 45452(2 Discs).
Keith Jarrett:  HWV 426/27/29/33 & More, ECM 21530.  Sophie Yates:  HWV
426-430, Chandos 0669.  Glenn Gould:  HWV 426-429 & More, Sony 52590.
Bob van Asperen:  HWV 427/30/33 & More, Sony 68260.  Murray Perahia:
HWV 427/28/30 & More, Sony 62785.

All of above performances are on harpsichord except for Perahia, Jarrett,
and Gavrilov/Richter; they are on piano.  Yes, Glenn Gould uses a
harpsichord for his recording.

Suite No. 1 in A major, HWV 426 - This is a four-movement work consisting
of Prelude, Allemande, Courante, and Gigue.  The A major Suite is the
simplest of the eight and possesses French influences.  The Prelude reminds
me of the French masters such as Louis Couperin, the Allemande has dotted
rhythms, the Courante is loaded with trills and ornamentation, and the
Gigue is an Italian style piece requiring virtuosity.

Comparing Gould to Cuckston reveals two major differences greatly in
Gould's favor - feeling and interest.  Cuckston gives a fine performance
with a particularly irresitable fugue, but he lacks the emotional
depth of the best artists and tends to steer clear of much horizontal
expressiveness.  As an example, Cuckston is very ordinary with his
improvisations in the Prelude and doesn't hit the core of subtle joy
and satisfaction with life in the Allemande.

Gould's version is wonderful.  There's a huge area for improvisation in
the Prelude, and Gould takes it to the limit.  He's up, down, and side-ways
all at the same time; often, he gives the music a Latin American flavor.  I
doubt this is what Handel had in mind, but Gould is so interesting that it
doesn't matter - absolutely dynamic.  He also pin-points superbly the joy
in the Allemande and the Courante, and his Gigue has a manic quality which
fits the music ever so fine.

Andrei Gavrilov, at least in baroque fare, likes the smooth, seamless,
and straight-ahead approach.  In these respects, he is similar to Jarrett
on piano.  However, Gavrilov surpasses Jarrett in conveying the beauty
and depth of whatever music is being played.  This leads into my saying
that Gavrilov's A major is lovely, seamless, and stays on one course at
all times.  His Prelude is very long and gorgeous, but many will not care
for the limited improvisational element.  However, Gavrilov's Gigue is
quite distinctive with great speed and momentum.  Overall, it's an
excellent performance which must defer to Gould's.

Keith Jarrett's performance strives for beauty, and he does achieve it
in a generic manner but with much cost.  First, he uses many 'big' chords
which remind me of romantic piano music.  Second, his heavily legato and
smooth readings need great rhythmic flow, and Jarrett doesn't provide it.
Third and most damaging, there's too little life to his interpretations;
this is most evident in the Courante and the Gigue which lack vitality.
I prefer Cuckston's A major much more than Jarrett's.

Reviews of Paul Nicholson's set were not highly complimentary, but his
A major performance is one superb version.  The key to excellence is the
exuberance of his playing which is on display in each movement.  The key
of A major and 'exuberance' are a fine match, and Nicholson has the full
grasp of the work.  This is a version sure to brighten the day.  Highlights
include a very lively Prelude, exciting Gigue, and the use of excellent
hesitations to add poignancy to the Allemande.  I find Nicholson just a
little below Gould's level.

At Nicholson's level is Sophie Yates who also delivers highly vibrant
performances which are less angular than Nicholson's.  Another difference
is her very fast and exciting Courante.

'Vibrant' well describes Anthony Newman.  It's evident from the total time
of the his disc that he zips along, but he doesn't do it smoothly.  He's
very sharp and invests the music with a strong bounce which impresses me.
His best movement is the Allemande which has an irresitable, distinctive,
and jagged rhythm.

The Prelude from Blandine Verlet is a perfect classical interpretation that
I think Handel would have loved; it's always interesting as Verlet seems to
reach for every note, and her sharpness is invigorating.  Beauty is strong,
and Verlet does a thorough examination of this piece.  Unfortunately, this
element of examination doesn't work very well in the Allemande.  I feel
Verlet gets caught up in structure and loses sight of the music's poetry.
This ends up being a wounded version of the A major which still is very
rewarding.

Gould has to share the top spot with Scott Ross.  I can't say that he's
sharp or smooth, cosmopolitan or rustic.  I can not claim that Ross is
particularly exciting or poignant.  He never 'pushes the envelope' and is
entirely mainstream.  What Ross has going in his favor is that he's the one
who has me feeling that I'm listening to Handel.  The flow of each movement
sounds perfect, and the blend of dignity and exuberance is always on
display.  Ross' harpsichord sound is clear as a bell and the detail he
provides is exceptional.  I am most enamored with his Courante which has
joy leaping out of the speakers.

Outcomes for the Suite in A major:

1.  Gould
1.  Ross
3.  Yates
3.  Nicholson
5.  Newman
6.  Verlet
7.  Gavrilov
8.  Cuckston
9.  Jarrett

For Suite No. 2, Richter will replace Gavrilov, and van Asperen and
Perahia join the group.  Concerning the duo of Richter/Gavrilov, it's
a reasonable partnership on record.  Richter's masculine strength and
angularity contrast well with Gavrilov's softer and more delicate nature.
Personally, I usually prefer Richter.

Don Satz
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